Simple Salad + Almond-Lime Dressing

More ways to eat almond butter. I just love it...it's the best ! I go through about a jar a week these days. I make it here at home, you can find the recipe here: Raw Almond Butter. And salads, I love fresh salads...I can eat them every day. Pair this almond-lime dressing with this salad and it creates some kind of wonderful. The sweetness and coolness of the cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, zucchini and leafy greens combined with the slightly salty, yet sweet and somewhat citrus almond flavors make this a salad I can enjoy often. I found myself tipping the bowl to get the last drops of this dressing. I think you might too. :)

All of these ingredients are alkaline based. The only questionable ingredient is the maple syrup, I find it on both the acid & alkaline list. I will be adding more meals that are 100% alkaline in the following months as I learn new habits of bringing my pH higher and maintaining a neutral level to combat some inflammation I am experiencing such as RA (explained more here: Let's Talk pH: The importance of Acid vs. Alkaline). And I plan on doing it with the most delicious meals. Eating healthy has to taste good and this hits the mark! 

Almond Butter & Lime Dressing 

• 2 heaping tablespoons almond butter
• 2 teaspoons tamari
• 2 teaspoons pure maple syrup or agave
• juice from 1 lime
• pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

Salad

• zucchini
• cucumber
• carrots
• celery
• bell pepper
• scallions
• leafy greens of choice
• almond slices or pepitas, optional

Start with the dressing first so it can sit and let the flavors mingle while cutting up the salad mix. Combine dressing ingredients in a small bowl, mix well until creamy. Taste for flavor....more tamari? more sweetener? Add 1 tablespoon water at a time if needed if to thin. I added the extra tablespoon water this time around but prefer it on the thicker side myself, these photos reflect the thinner dressing. Dressing makes one serving.

Next, prepare your vegetables any way you like, using as much as you like. Taste dressing once more to make sure it's to your liking. Build your salad and drizzle with your perfected dressing...

Enjoy !

Make your own Raw Almond Butter ... It's very easy to do and it's a good clean food. It only has one ingredient: almonds...no sugars, fillers or junk. Spread it on apple slices, toast, put a dollop on top of your oatmeal with bananas slices & a drizzle of pure maple syrup, etc...so many ways to enjoy it!

Chopped Vegetable Salad & Citrus Garlic Dressing

This is a lighter fare from some of my most recent posts. Freshness is always welcome around here. A simple salad is one of my favorite meals, especially when I'm on the go...I like to pack a salad and some fruit to snack on for the day, maybe a raw cookie or two as well. I also like to spiralize cucumbers and zucchini for my salad base to change it up. You could just as easily use cooked pasta as a base for this salad as well. The garlic dressing is very light with a nice combination of citrus, dijon, pepper and garlic...leaving a nice taste on your lips. 

 Ingredients

Salad
2 cups English cucumbers, chopped
1 cup yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 cup orange or red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup plum or roma tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup scallions, chopped

Garlic Dressing
2 garlic cloves, minced
juice of one medium lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 heaping tablespoon Dijon mustard or stoneground
himalayan salt to taste
fresh cracked pepper or lemon pepper to taste


any leafy green or cooked pasta of choice, optional

Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl. Combine garlic dressing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Pour dressing over vegetables, tossing gently to coat. Serve salad on a bed of leafy greens, whole grain pasta or eat as is.

To make this a 100% alkalizing salad, squeeze lemon and add a sprinkle of cumin....or combine grated ginger and the juice of one orange...so fresh and good! This salad is a great place to add a sprinkle of sunflower seeds or pepitas...

Enjoy !

BLACK RICE SUSHI BOWL + DYNAMITE SAUCE

Sushi roll, in a bowl!

I've had a bag of black rice in my pantry for far too long. It's one of those items I use on occasion and thought it would be perfect for this a sushi dish. Black rice (aka purple, fortune, Emperor's or forbidden rice) is highly nutritious and a grain that we could all benefit from adding to our meal rotation. It's slightly more nutritious than brown rice and can be used in place of other colored rices, even in dessert recipes. Its main attribution over brown rice is the concentration of anthocyanin anti-oxidants in its dark color. The power of these anti-oxidants can be compared to that of blueberries and other dark colored fruits and vegetables. Its flavor and texture is about the same as brown rice and the nutritional profile is similar as well. After having it here, I can see myself grabbing for the black rice more often...its nutty texture and softly sweet undertone is delicious!

Sometimes it's just easier to throw your sushi ingredients into a bowl, which was just the case for me here. I started out by attempting to make sushi rolls. My knives were not sharp enough making it hard to cut the roll properly. I ended up simply eating it as a hand roll and decided to create a sushi bowl to share with you. I'll sharpen my knives and save the sushi roll for later. I kept the vegetables simple but you can make your sushi bowl your own by changing up the vegetables to whatever you have accessible in your area or on hand. Use julienned bell peppers, enoki mushrooms or pan seared sliced shitake mushrooms, shredded purple or green cabbage, pea shoots, etc. Add in some cubed tofu or edamame for added protein. Whatever vegetables you use, the creamy spicy sauce will finish it off and make it all come together beautifully!  I've been into creamy sauces lately, they're something so satisfying to me, and this was another dressing that hit the spot. As well as being so simple to put together, the dressing can double as a dip or dressing making it versatile. Altogether, this is an easy to throw together sushi bowl that you can enjoy whenever the craving strikes!

BLACK RICE SUSHI BOWL + DYNAMITE SAUCE

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup black rice 
• just under 1 cup water or vegetable broth
• 1 - 2 carrots, julienned
• 1/2 cucumber, julienned
• 1 avocado
• 1/2 cup alfalfa sprouts, or sprouts of choice
• 3 radishes, sliced
• nori sheet, cut into strips
• sesame seeds, to garnish

Dynamite Sauce

• 4 tablespoons (1/4 cup) tahini
• 6-7 tablespoons water
• juice of 1/2 small lemon or splash of apple cider vinegar
• 2 - 3 teaspoons sriracha, sambal oelek or chili garlic (or your favorite hot sauce)
• pinch of salt

Rinse rice well under cool running water using a fine mesh sieve. In a small sauce pan, bring rice and water to a boil, cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 25 minutes without disturbing. When done remove lid and let rest about 10 minutes, fluff with fork. Please check your package for cooking directions just in case, this was mine.

In a small bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together, cover and set aside. Add more water to thin your dressing, add more tahini to make it thicker.

To serve, add 1/2 of the rice (about 1/2 cup) into your serving dish and arrange the prepared vegetables over top or to the side. Drizzle with dynamite sauce and add a sprinkle of sesame seeds. Enjoy your deconstructed sushi bowl in all its creamy gloriousness!

Serves 2.

Notes: 

If you don't have tahini on hand, use any vegan mayo of choice, about 1/2 cup + a tablespoon or so of water to thin if needed. Omit the lemon/vinegar juice.

Change up the vegetables using colored bell peppers, pan seared julienned shitake mushrooms, shredded purple or green cabbage,  peas shoots, etc. 

Add in some cubed tofu or edamame for added protein.

I'd love to see what you've created!

#thesimpleveganista

Quinoa + Hemp Heart Tabbouleh

Tabbouleh is a popular traditional Middle Eastern dish. The ingredients remain the same but vary in ratio depending on the region. It traditionally uses bulgur wheat as the grain of choice but here we are using gluten free quinoa. I also added some hemp hearts as they are a perfect accompaniment and add extra nutrients, like all the very important omegas. What I really love about the quinoa and hemp hearts is that they are both complete proteins making this a well-balanced dish. If your new to hemp seeds and oil, following is a great article on just how wonderful and beneficial these seeds and oil is for your health: Hemp Seed - The Most Nutritionally Complete Food Source in the World

I have been wanting to make this for some time now and am so glad I finally did. It was light, fresh and delicious! The ingredient list is simple and comes together creating pleasure for all your senses...visually, texturally and flavor wise. Not to mention the smell is delicious too. The mint and parsley together are a winning combination leaving a fresh, clean taste bite after bite. The cucumber is refreshing, the tomatoes add juiciness and the lemon adds a nice light zestiness. After making this I have to admit that I sat and ate the whole thing...of course I only made half of the recipe you see here which is why I doubled this recipe so you can have some for later, or share if you like. This is clean eating and nutrient dense. For those of you who count calories, when you learn to eat clean like this you don't need to count calories...eat as much as you like and count your blessing instead! 

It's just pure and simple...

Quinoa + Hemp Heart Tabbouleh 

Ingredients

• 1 cup quinoa (I used tri-color)
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 bunch parsley (about 2 cups lightly packed), stems removed
• 1 small bunch mint (about 1 cup lightly packed), stems removed
• 1 English cucumber (skin on), diced
• 1 small red onion, diced or 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cup cherry/grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
• 1/4 cup hemp hearts (shelled hemp seeds)
• drizzle of good extra virgin olive oil 
• juice of 2 large lemons
• mineral salt & cracked pepper to taste

Rinse your quinoa in a fine mesh stainer to remove any dust (sometimes I do this, sometimes I don't). In a medium size pot, bring water, quinoa and garlic powder to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat, remove cover and let set for 10 - 15 minutes, fluff with fork.

In the meantime, finely chop your parsley and mint. Dice your cucumber, tomato and onion.

Once quinoa is ready, add in the parsley, mint, cucumber, onion, tomatoes, hemp hearts, drizzle of olive oil and the juice of your lemons, salt & pepper to taste, gently mix together.

Serve with a few whole mint and/or parsley leaves and lemon wedges.

Serves three generously.

So clean & healthy...any day is a good day for tabbouleh!

Enjoy!

Favorite Summer Sandwich

Nothing like summer time with its abundance of tomatoes, cucumbers & avocados. One of the best ways of putting them together is in a sandwich that I deem my 'favorite'. This is a true classic! It's loaded with flavor and juiciness. I have come back to this sandwich many times over the years. 

It's simplicity and deliciousness keep me coming back for more... 

Favorite Summer Sandwich

Ingredients (serves two)

• 1 tomato, sliced
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, sliced
• sprouts or leafy greens (or both would be great too)
• hummus, to spread (veganiase would be great too)
• 4 slices your favorite bread (I used a sprouted whole wheat bread)
• mineral salt & cracked pepper, to taste

Start by toasting, or not, your bread. Add a nice layer of hummus to both inside pieces of bread. Then layer with the tomato, avocado, red onion, cucumber, sprouts/leafy greens and sprinkle with a little bit of mineral salt and cracked pepper.

Notes: If you find your hummus very thick, try adding a tablespoon of water at a time and mix well until desired consistency. 

Nothing short of wonderful!

 Enjoy the taste of summer !

FRESH THAI SALAD

This is one of those simple delicious salads that I so enjoy. Full of fresh flavors including mango, cucumber, carrots, tomato, cilantro and topped with a simple dressing that is lightly sweet, salty & spicy...a bit of everything. It will leave you feeling fresh and energized. This recipe was inispired by this one from Trans-Planted. It's a Som Tam salad that is very popular in Thailand and uses unripe green papaya. This is my version using cucumber, carrots, ripe mango (instead of unripe) and tomatoes. Staying close to the Som Tam of Thailand is the spiciness, saltiness and sweetness of the dressing. It's all comes together beautifully and is so easy to eat. You may find it to be quite addicting!

You can add/subtract whatever you want. I think pineapple would be a nice sweet addition as well. The flavors of the simple dressing will go with many tropical fruits and a wide variety of vegetables. Have fun experimenting!

FRESH THAI SALAD

Ingredients

• 1 English cucumber, julienned
• 2 large carrots, julienned
• 1 mango, julienned or sliced
• 1 tomato, diced or handful cherry tomatoes, halved
• handful cashews or peanuts, optional
• cilantro, as much as you like, to serve
• 1 - 2 limes, to serve

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce or Bragg's amino
• 1 tablespoon coconut, pure cane or raw sugar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• juice of one lime

In a small bowl, mix together tamari, sugar, garlic, red pepper flakes and juice of lime. Set aside. Mix before adding to the salad, we want the sugar to be as dissolved as possible. 

Prepare your vegetables and fruit, place in medium sized bowl along with nuts, add dressing and mix well. Serve in individual bowls with an extra squeeze of lime.

Serves two.

Notes:

You can sub in 3 - 4 Persian cucumbers in place of the English. Both of these types of cucumbers have less seeds making them ideal for being julienned. 

My kind of easy...and so amazingly fresh & deliciuos!

Enjoy!

Avocado & Cucumber Soup

I love to slice and dice my food without too much preparation. This is just that with lots of flavor. The cool sensation of cucumber combined with the creaminess of avocado makes for a wonderfully refreshing cold soup. This is also a great base for a guacamole dip, minus the water and cumin. Adding cucumber in with the avocado is a great way to reduce some of the fat and calories in the traditional avocado mixture without losing any flavor, especially if you like to eat a lot of it! Also this will work as a dip for veggies, chips, a spread on sandwiches, a salad dressing and great on raw noodles, like zucchini and carrots. Lot's of ways to use this recipe with minor changes of water amount, use less for a thicker base or more for a thinner base. This is so very simple to make too. Let's get started...

Avocado & Cucumber Soup

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 medium avocado
• 1 cucumber (with or without the skin)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 squeezed lemon
• dash of himalayan salt

Cut cucumber into small pieces and place all ingredients in blender or food processor. Blend until creamy.

Serve with diced tomatoes, red onions and cilantro if you like. You could even top with julienned carrots, diced colorful bell peppers, etc...most veggies will make a nice garnish and taste well with this dish while also adding some texture. 

This is two small servings or one large serving.

So very good and fresh! Enjoy...

Summer Rolls + Two Dipping Sauces

Well hello again, I have missed you terribly! A lot has happened in the last couple weeks. After my last post Soba Noodles with Tofu, Broccoli & Carrots, I left for vacation to the beautiful Kings Canyon. The area we visited is located in the eastern sierra's located between Mammoth and Bishop just off the 395 called Rock Creek Lake. It's gorgeous up there with clean air, nice temperatures and nature all around. How does it get any better than that? You can see many of my pictures here. In that time, the 4th of July also came and went. I extreme cleaned the house, you know the unclutter, going behind closed doors and rearranging the furniture kind...feels good to be done with that! I did all those things I have put off doing while focusing my energy on this blog the last year. Speaking of which, The Simple Veganista also turned 1 on July 1st. I can't believe it's been a year already. I really wanted to do a special post for this occasion but it just didn't happen so it was a quiet celebration. When I first started this blog I had no idea where things would go but thanks to everyone who has a love for clean vegan food...this blog has done remarkably well in that short amount of time and I thank you all for following along with my passion. I intend to keep it going as long as it stays fun for me. I love all the aspects of being here...from testing and preparing the food, taking pictures, editing, writing (a few of these I'd like to improve on), sharing, getting feedback from everyone. It's truly fun for me and I'm so happy to be a part of your lives and hope you get lots of inspiration for clean, healthy eating habits along the way. And remember, that's all it is...creating NEW habits and making them healthy habits! Cheers to another year of creating those healthy habits that stick... 

So without further ado...let's eat!

Summer, spring or salad rolls, known as Goi Cuon in Vietnamese, are fresh, versatile and so easy to put together. You can use all kinds of vegetables to suit your taste...make them simple with just a few ingredients like the first picture or add more for a variation and rainbow effect like the picture above. I love these rolls and you can be sure that this is the first of many I will like to try out and share. The recipe today is a very basic, all around summer roll. Nothing complicated, everything should be readily available and easy to find. For a great tutorial on rolling a closed end roll like the image just above (they were cut in half) go here: How to Roll Fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls – A Photo Tutorial

You can find rice paper in the Asian section of your grocery store. There are different shapes and sizes so if you're new to this be sure to experiment with a few to see what works best for you. 

I have included two different dipping sauces because some of you may be allergic to nuts. One will be a peanut or almond butter based dipping sauce and the other will be rice vinegar based. A sauce for everyone here. Both are excellent. I love my peanut sauce but was very pleased with the vinegar based sauce I adapted from Martha Stewart. Even though I'm not much of a vinegar lover...it was delicious! 

Summer rolls are commonly filled with a few herbs like mint, cilantro and/or Thai basil. Feel free to use one or a combination. I find in these rolls that they all taste great together. If you can't find Thai basil, regular basil will be just as good! I especially love the basil with the peanut dipping sauce...the flavors pair so well.

Next you can choose from a variety of greens to add to your rolls. Use one or a combination if you like. Depending on what style roll I'm making, I may use two types of greens.

Lastly, choose your veggies and cut them into thin strips by hand or using a julienne tool. These are just a few of the veggies you can use. Try adding avocado, green onions, bean sprouts, etc. Many recipes for these rolls also use rice noodles, and you can too, but I prefer a roll full of veggies instead having one or two extra if needed. I can eat two or three of these and be completely satisfied for a few hours. 

Adding in some sliced tofu is an option. I do like to add it to my rolls when not using the peanut sauce as it adds some protein to the meal. 

Summer Rolls + Two Dipping Sauces 

Ingredients (2 - 3 servings)

• 6 rice papers (preferably the circular sheets)
• 2-3 medium carrots, cut into match sticks or 1/4 inch sticks
• 1/2 cucumber, cut into match sticks or 1/4 inch sticks
• 1/2 bell pepper (yellow, red and/or orange), thinly sliced
• 1/4 red cabbage, thinly sliced
• greens of choice: leafy lettuce, pea shoots, spring salad mix or micro greens
• radishes, thinly sliced (optional)
• organic tofu (firm or extra firm), sliced (optional)
• mint, small handful of leaves
• cilantro, small bunch of sprigs
• basil, small handful leaves

Sweet Chili Sauce (2 servings)

• 1/4 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons warm water
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
• juice of 1 lime

Peanut Sauce (2 servings)

• 3 heaping tablespoons peanut or almond butter
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon maple syrup
• 2 tablespoon warm water
• 1 - 2 tablespoon rice vinegar, optional
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Mix your dipping sauce together first, let set so the flavors can mingle. It will taste much different after a few minutes. Taste for flavor before serving.

This summer roll direction will be for the open end roll as shown above. For the closed end roll please see the tutorial here. 

Fill a large shallow bowl 1/2 way with warm water...a large pie dish works great for the circular rice sheets which is what this recipe will use. Making one roll at a time, dip the rice sheet into the water making sure to get both sides and all edges, no need to let it soak until completely soft. Lay on a flat surface and fold in half, the rounded side will be the top and the flat side the bottom. The paper will still seem a bit stiff but will keep absorbing the water and soften as you layer your veggies. In the center, layer your ingredients...greens, herbs, tofu and veggies. Fold the end corner over the layer of veggies, give a nice tuck and roll. 

Serve with choice of dipping sauce. 

Enjoy!

Stuffed Avocados

Avocados are so versatile and can be served with so many dishes. I eat them almost every day. Today it was served stuffed and as you can imagine it tasted amazing !

Ingredients

grape tomatoes

cucumber

jalapeno

shallot

garlic

hummus or tahini

himalayan salt & pepper

Dice ingredients, place in small/medium bowl, add just enough hummus to bind. Fill avocados and top with salt & pepper.

Let this just be a starting point for you. You can add/subtract whatever you wish. You can even double stuff yours. Go stuffing nuts and enjoy every minute !

Hope this inspires something wonderful within ! xo

Soba & Cucumber Noodles + Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce

I love sweet and spicy dishes, this one really hit the spot. I have now fondly adopted the soba noodle and it is now a staple in my pantry. Not only are they delicious, they are full of nutrition. I also discovered they are not related to wheat at all, they are completely gluten free and are actually considered a 'highly nutritious seed'. If your following a gluten free lifestyle then soba noodles will fit in perfectly for you. Just be sure to look for the soba noodles containing 100% buckwheat. I like these from Eden Foods. They cook in the same way other noodles cook, the only thing I would recommend with soba noodles is to make sure to add salt to the water when cooking to really bring out the flavors. I enjoyed this recipe and have made it quite a few times adding my own personal touch each time adapting from the original recipe by Simply Reem. It's sweet, spicy, salty, noodly and refreshing all in one...a myriad of goodness! 

Once you mix it all together...you're ready for a soba sensation!

Soba & Cucumber Noodles + Sweet Ginger Scallion Sauce

Ingredients 

• 1 package (9 oz.) soba noodles (I like Eden Foods)
• 1 large English cucumber, julienned
• 1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped 
• lime wedges
• mineral salt & fresh cracked pepper to taste

Ginger Scallion Sauce

• 3/4 cup scallions (green onions), thinly sliced 
• 2 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated or minced
• 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 2 - 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon sesame, toasted sesame or grapeseed oil
• 1 - 2 tablespoons tamari, soy sauce or Namo Shoyu
• 1 - 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1/2 teaspoon sriracha, optional

In a small bowl, combine the ingredients for the sauce and set aside.

Cook soba noodles according to package. I recommend salting the water well to really bring out the flavor (I would not usually recommend this but if using 100% buckwheat noodles they will benefit from this...at least I think so).

In the meantime, prepare your cucumber using a julienne tool. If your cucumber is really long, you can cut it in half before you julienne it if you like. You can also spiralize if you have a spiralizer. Feel free to cut them into 1/4 inch x 1 1/2 inch matchsticks pieces if you don't have a julienne tool. 

Once noodles are ready, drain well, return to pot they cooked in, add cucumber, cilantro and about 3/4 of the sauce, toss well. In single serving dish, add 1/2 of the noodle mixture, top with 1/2 of the remaining sauce, and salt & pepper to taste. Add as much lime juice as you like. I especially loved the lime and used about 2 juicy ones for myself. 

A serving of cubed tofu pairs well here.

Serve warm or cold. Serves two generously.

Notes: 

I specify English cucumbers here but 2 -3 Persian cucumbers will work too. Reason being they are much less seedier than regular cucumbers and hold up well to being julienned. Regular cucumbers, the center part once julienned, will be much more delicate because of the seeds. 

Toasted sesame seed oil is also really tasty in this sauce!

Adjust any ingredient in the sauce to suit your taste.

Enjoy!

MEDITERRANEAN KALE SALAD

Summer in California is setting in, the temperatures are rising and salads are always welcome. I've been on an olive loving kick lately, as well as a chickpea kick (I'll tell you why soon), so this salad hit the spot with some salty olives, fresh sweet grape tomatoes & red bell peppers, refreshing cucumbers, red onion and fresh cooked chickpeas. All dressed up with a light vinaigrette and nice dollop of hummus. This salad didn't start with a dollop of hummus, but half way through eating I added a scoop and decided it needed to be included in the recipe (and photo), although I list it as optional. It adds such nice creaminess and rounds it out the salad well. If you find raw kale too hard to eat, even after letting it relax in lemon juice, a dollop of hummus will definitely do a world of good for you. It adds a nice creaminess to the overall salad while masking some of kale's bitterness. Similar to the Every Day Nourish Bowl, we now have another option of whole hearted goodness to choose from when a craving for salads occur! It's simple, accessible, not too expensive and good for you. Cheers to all of those things! :)

I have some fun news to share! I'm going to be immersed in all things chickpeas the next few months. I figured this post is a great place to introduce a project I've been working so hard on called, CHICKPEA: THE CHICKPEA HANDBOOK/COOKBOOK. It's all you need to know about chickpeas, with chapters containing information on nutrition, history, types, sprouting, growing (gardening), storing & selecting, flour, cooking and a few other relevant chapters. Plus, it will include upwards of 100+ recipes (not sure where to stop since there's so many good ones I want to add), including pictures of each one. It will include all of the favorite chickpea recipes from the blog and a ton of new ones. I'm excited out of my mind for this project! I was asked a few months ago what was the one ingredient that was important in my kitchen and my answer was chickpeas. They are so versatile and I use them often, especially for my hummus which is so much more than just a dip. After toying around with a couple cookbook ideas, doing a chickpea cookbook seemed so right. I want to celebrate the chickpea in all its glory and showcase its versatility, all the way from breakfast to desserts. It's a perfect fit for me and I know it will be a useful addition to any kitchen library! It's meant to be used often and will have my signature simplicity with a few recipes to kick it up a notch. I'm shooting for the end of the year but am really in no hurry as I want this book to be amazing. I ♥ chickpeas and think we should all eat more of them!

Enjoy the salad, and of course, this will be in the book! :)

MEDITERRANEAN  KALE SALAD

Ingredients 

• 3/4 bunch kale, stems removed and julienned
• 1 large lemon, juice of
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/8 small red onion, sliced
• 1/4 cucumber, sliced
• small handful cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half or campari tomatoes, quartered
• small handful cup kalamata olives, pitted
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
• dollop of hummus, optional (but so good!), to serve
• fresh chopped parsley, to serve

Vinaigrette

• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• juice of one lemon
• 1 heaping teaspoon dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano, optional
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• salt & pepper, to taste

Remove the stems from the center of the kale leaves, as least the thickest parts. Julienne kale leaves and place in a medium size bowl, add lemon juice, mix to coat the leaves and let set while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. The lemon juice will help soften the kale leaves. Toss every few minutes or so.

In a small bowl, add the ingredients for the vinaigrette. Whisk together until emulsified. It usually takes me about one minute, set aside.

Once you've prepped your other ingredients you're ready to assemble your salad. In a serving dish, add kale and top with bell pepper, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and chickpeas. Add your vinaigrette over top and a dollop of hummus anywhere you like.

Serves one generously.

Notes:

Depending on the size of your produce, amounts will vary. Adjust accordingly to suit your taste and situation. For instance, I used small Persian cucumbers here but used a whole small one. Typically, you'll be using a regular or English cucumber and will only use about 1/4 of it, as per the recipe.

Enjoy!

Garden Salad 'Tacos'

Inspired by my Sun Kissed Tomato and Avocado dish I made yesterday after gardening, I decided to make Garden Salad 'Tacos' for lunch. I love eating fresh and raw in the summer and spring. These left me feeling satisfied and still able to get everything done that I needed to do. Something about eating living foods for a living body that energizes you. 

Ingredients

• grape tomatoes, halved 
• avocado, diced
• cucumber, julienned
• scallions, thinly sliced
• carrots, julienned
• hummus 
• cilantro, chop or leave as is like I did
• Himalayan salt & cracked pepper, to taste
• romaine hearts, washed and dried

Directions

Wash and dry romaine leaves. Start with your hummus and layer up. 

I myself can eat about four, five or six of these as a meal...very clean, refreshing and satisfying!

Enjoy!

Raw Vegan Sushi Rolls

First time making sushi rolls, really enjoyed putting these together. Since I've never been a fan of all the rice used in sushi rolls this was right up my alley since I prefer to fill up on veggies. I enjoyed three of these rolls all to myself ! One day I'd like to have a party where everyone makes their own. Until then, let's get this party started...

Raw Vegan Sushi Rolls

Ingredients

• nori wraps
• miso paste 
• avocado
• radish, julienned
• cucumber - julienned
• carrots - julienned
• red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise
• enoki mushrooms
• pea shoots or sprouts of your choice
• hemp hearts & sesame seed mix, about 1 tbsp each
• use as much of each vegetable as you wish

Dipping Sauce

• 1 tablespoon Nama Shoyu, tamari, or soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon scallions, sliced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, to taste

Directions

Start by spreading your miso paste along the edge of the nori sheet. Add some of the hemp hearts & sesame seed mixture to the miso paste, gently press so the seeds stay put. Next add some avocado and all the other ingredients as you wish. Finally, roll your roll and slice. After the first one, I improved immensely. Once you get the hang of it it's really easy. Have fun and....

Enjoy!