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Cashew Creamed Kale with Pomegranate

November 17, 2015 Colleen Stem
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  I use to suck the juice out of the seeds (they are actually called arils) of the pomegranate and spit out the actual seeds... I thought that the seeds were poisonous. (I blame my sister for this .She is the one that told me that).  And it turns out that it is an actual thing. That other people think that the seeds are not edible, so I guess don’t feel so duped. But I leaned. The seeds, they are very much edible, and very much tasty. I love biting into a pomegranate seed, letting the juice flood my mouth, followed by a nice little crunch from the seed inside, just like little crunchy red jewels. And the method of removing the seeds just makes them that much better. When you have to whack a fruit for it's edible parts, it got to be good. And to make this clear…. to all the people out there that thick the seeds are poison… the seeds are NOT POISION. In fact, they are quite good for you.

Now that that has been established, we can get to eating these little pearls the right way.  And being all holiday and jolly lala, I was thinking of some classic side dishes that are typical around this time.  Creamed spinach came to mind, but that just seemed a little boring. That’s where the pomegranate comes in.  You add pomegranate to anything and it’s not boring anymore. Also I switched out the creamed part and replaced it with cashew cream, and spinach with kale… cause that’s what I do. And the results are fantastic! Sweet, creamy, crunchy, earthy... All the best flavors. And even though I ate most of it hot, it’s definitely a side that moves from hot to cold and still taste super great. Would even make a nice sandwich or maybe add a little bed of grains and you got yourself a nice little lunch.

But the again, you probably wont have any left overs

The stuff. A bunch of kale, some cashews that have been soaking for a little while,  and a pomegrante  (I only used half of one). We also need us some more fresh water, a lemon, a few cloves of garlic and salt and pepper.

Remove the arils (thats what the juicy seeds ae called) by placing half the pomegranate into a bowl and whacking  it with a big wooden spoon. (martha stewart taught me this)

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Strain the soaking cashews and dump them into a blender with the juice of the lemon, the garlic, some fresh water and some salt and pepper.

Turn blender on and blend until a nice smooth consistency

Chop up the kale and place into a really big skillet with a few splashes of water.

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Once the kale has wilted, pour the cashew cream all over it. 

Add in the pomegranate  seeds

And get yourself a fork (bowl is optional( and eat. 

Creamed food never tasted this good!

-C


Cashew Creamed Kale with Pomegranate

makes 3-4 servings 

  • 1 bunch (abut a pound) Kale
  • 1/2 cup cashews that have been soaking in water for a little while
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 1 lemon
  • 2-3 loves garlic
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds (about 1/2 a pomegranate)
  • salt and pepper to taste 

Take your pomegranate , slice in half, and place half seed sside down into a bowl. Take a big wooden spoon or something like it, and whack the outside of the fruit. The seeds will all fall out.. but check for any stuck seeds

Strain cashews from soaking waterand dump into a blender with the juice of the lemon, the garlic, ¾ cups of water, and a pinch or two of salt. Blend until a smooth a creamy cream. If you think the cream is to thick, add in another splash of water

After washing kale, chop it up into smallish pieces. (remove stems if you want.. I don't, I like the stems) Stick the kale into a large skillet with a few splashes of water and a sprinkle of salt and place on the oven on medium high heat. Stir around until kale is wilted and the water has evapotated. Pour on the cashew cream, mix around and top with the pomegranate seeds.

and eat..hot or cold. Its all good.

In Vegetables, Vegan, Savory, sauce, Paleo, holiday, grain free, Gluten Free, Dairy Free Tags thanksgiving, side dishes, vegan, gluten free, paleo, Cashew creamed kale and pomegranate, pomegrante, fresh, clean eating, plant based, meal prep, salad, nuts, simple sides, heathy, protein
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Spicy Maple Candied Walnuts

October 27, 2015 Colleen Stem
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My oven is fixed!! The part came in yesterday afternoon, right before we were about to leave for dinner at my sisters. The mr ripped the package open, popped the stove out and within 5 minutes I had a brand new, working ovens! (not really brand new, but it is much cleaner now after taking it apart and seeing how nasty it was)

But before this happened, I was working with no oven. And all I wanted to do ( all I wanted to do all weekend) was bake something.  So yesterday, instead of just waiting around moping, I decided to make something with the part of the oven that still worked. And being that it's the week before Halloween, I have got candy on my mind, plus  a hugmongo bag of walnuts. Hmm, the possibilities. 

No oven, big bag of nuts, candy thoughts = Spicy maple candied walnuts A perfectly sweet and spicy treat that packs lots of flavor, protein, and healthy stuff and not a bunch  of shit. Made on the stove top with no fancy equipment., takes about 5 minutes to make and tastes like Woo hoo! A (kinda )candy to feel good about eating.

Ask the mr. I think he ate them all last night. And I am ok with that cause it's way better then him eating that shit candy and also, he fixed my oven. Thanks love! 

Now to the nuts!

The stuff. Whole walnuts, real pure Vermont maple syrup, cayenne pepper and salt. 

Stick the walnuts into a dry skillet and place on the stove on medium high heat to give the nuts a little pre toast and to preheat the skillet.

While the walnuts are slightly toasting, dump the maple syrup in a bowl with cayenne and give it a little stir.

Once the skillet has heated and the walnuts are slightly toasted and starting to smell all nutty ,dump the syrup into the skillet while string until the nuts until all are coated.

And for the next few minutes, continue to stir the nuts until the maple syrup starts to caramelize and  there is no longer any liquid left in the pan.(like 3-5 minutes)

Now dump the nuts onto a lined baking sheet and spinkle with a pinch or two of salt, and if you like spice, a pinch more of cayenne pepper (you can make them as salty and spicy as you like!)

Note. As soon as you dump the nuts, stick your skillet in the sink and fill with water to avoid a crappy stuck on sugar mess.

Walnuts a plenty cooling off. 

Oh man.. dez nuts! (I am sorry, I couldn't resists)

Snack on these, it will make you happy.

Enjoy your Tuesday! 

-C


Spicy Maple Candied Walnuts

  • 1 1/2 cups raw, whole walnuts
  • 1/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayanne powder (more if you like really spicy)
  • a couple pinches of salt 

Place walnuts into a large dry skillet  and stick on stove on medium heat. In a little bowl, mix the maple and the cayenne pepper together. When the skillet has preheated and the walnuts are slightly toasted ash giving off a nutty smell, pour mixture onto walnuts, string to evenly coat each nut. COntinue to cook and stir for another 3-4 minutes or until the syrup has caramelized ash dried. Once done, dump the mixture onto a lined baking sheet  and sprinkle with salt and maybe more cayenne pepper if yu want. Let cool, then eat…

These suckers make a great snack,  tossed into salads, or added to some apple strudel. Eat them whatever way floats your boat. 

In Dairy Free, Gluten Free, holiday, Paleo, recipes, Savory, Vegan, Vegetables Tags Spicy maple candied walnuts, walnuts, candy, vegan, gluten free, paleo, healthy, clean eating, plant based, snack, protein, halloween, nuts
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Arugula Pesto-Delicata Squash-and Cashew Cheese Pizza

October 2, 2015 Colleen Stem

Hey there people.. It's FRIDAY!!! and I gots another pizza here that will knock your socks off (I am back to wearing socks, are you?)

So the mr is trying to not eat quite as much cheese lately (he really likes to eat cheese). But he also can not live (happily) without eating pizza and I usually make his pizzas with cheese. So me being the best girl friend ever went out of my lovely way to make him a pizza without dairy cheese. And who said that pizza need real cheese? I bet there is somebody, but I don't care, and neither did the mr. He was all into this, no dairy cheese in sight. Plus bonus for me, I didn't have to grate cheese (worst activity ever!) 

Anyway, let's talk about this pizza. The toppings alone are HELL YEAH! Arugula pesto , which is bitter, and spicy. Delicata squash that is smooth, sweet and creamy, and  cashew cheese brings it all together with a cheesy, creamy, sweet, tanginess….. I mean, are you drooling yet? And let's just look at how pretty it is.. So pretty, which makes the whole thing that much better. 

A pizza tha will make just about anyone happy, full of so much fantastic flavor and not covered in a bunch of grease and gross. One could eat the entire thing and really not feel so bad about it. It's kind of the perfect pizza. 

So onwards! Go make pizza!

The stuff. A pizza dough (homemade or store bought.. whatever works for you). Some cashew cheese (slightly watered down so it pourable) and a delicata squash.  For the pesto… arugula, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, olive oil and a little salt.

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To make the pesto toss the arugaula, lemon juice, garlic,a pitch of salt,  and the nutritional yeast into a food processor. Start the thing and slowly drizzle a little olive oil in as its going until it all comes together and looks all creamy pesto nice like.

Grab the squash and slice it up into 1/4 inch think pieces. Once it's sliced, the seeds come out  really easily with a spoon or you fingers, so remove those but don't toss them! Roast them, either now or save for later

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Roll , stretch, toss your dough and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet, or in a skillet however you like to bake you pizza) and start  adding the toppings. Arugula pesto..delicata squash and lastly, cashew cheese spattered all over.

Looking good and ready for the hot oven.

And after some time… Crispy. golden brown crust. The Delicatia is nice and soft and the cashew cheese is starting to brown(just a bit)

Cut into slices and serves with extra arugula (if you want). 

Have the best weekend. Go do something fall-ish.  (I am going PUMPKIN PICKING!)

Happy Friday!

-C


Arugula Pesto-Delicata Squash-Cashew Cheese Pizza

 

  • pizza dough for a 12 inch pizza * (use any dough, this recipe or store bought)
  • 1 cup cashew cheese (recipe here), slightly thinned out with water to like melted ice cream consistency 
  • 1 delicata squash

For the pesto

  • 3-4 large handfuls of arugula
  • 4 cloves of garlic
  • juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tablespoons nutrional yeast
  • olive oil (1-2 tablespoons
  • salt and pepper

*Note. Make sure to set you pizza dough out for at least 15-20 minutes to let it rest and come to room temperature

Preheat oven to 450

Roll out pizza dough to about a 12 inch circle or square (whatever shape you want) and place in or on a lightly oiled baking sheet or skillet (or whatever you like to bake you pizzas on)  Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and set aside.

Take arugula, garlic, nutritional yeat and lemon juice and stick into a food processor. Turn on and blend, drizzling in a little olive oil until all the stuff comes together and is all pesto like. Season with salt. Now take your squash and slice it into 1/4 ish rounds. Remove the seeds (scrap out with a spoon or just push them out of the whole with your fingers) 

Grab the dough, smear on a good amount of pesto (you don't need to use it all) layer the delicata rounds on top of that, and then drip, splatter,our pour the cashew cheese on top of that.

Stick into hot oven and bake for about 15-20 minutes, or until crust and cashew cheese is golden brown.

Remove from oven, let cool for a minute, cut into slices and serve with extra fresh arugula and a bit more nutritional yeast.

Eat and eat.    

 

 

In Gluten Free, Dairy Free, recipes, Vegan Tags Pizza, Vegan, Dairy free, healthy, protein, clean eating, plant based, organic, local, cashew cheese, arugula pesto, delicata squah, dinner, friday
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Cashew Cheese + A Juicy Tomato Situation

September 3, 2015 Colleen Stem
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Sometime the best things in life are the simplest things. For example; a walk through the woods, a really pretty smooth rock, a perfectly timed 80's ballad song for the last push during a workout, or falling asleep on the couch and managing to not drool all over the newly washed pillows.(You know what I am talking about). I mean, can one really ask for much more?

Same goes with food. The simplest foods can really the best. Take this cashews cheese for example. All it is is soaked and blended up cashews with a bit of seasoning to cheese it up. Nothing fancy, nothing labor intensive, just straight up and straight out. You can up the greatness by adding thick cuts of fresh, sun kissed, bright and happy tomato, and a chunk of fresh bread…Not much better then that. So simple and yet so good.

 And bonus. No need to turn on any heating units in order to make this cause that would suck, given that we are again having another fucking heat wave. 

Agh stupid hot weather. STUPID!!!! But enough about that..

Cheese time.

The stuff. Cashews that be soakin for a while in some water, nutritional yeast (to give it that cheesy flavor), lemon, garlic, and salt and pepper. That's for the cheese, but you are, and should, want to eat it with a large, so fresh and juicy, tomato and some kind of fresh bread situation. So you need that too!

Simple as can be. Strain cashews from soaking water and dump into a food processor with the garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of the lemon, a pinch of salt and pepper, and a little water.  Turn on processor.

And it's done when its all smooth and creamy .Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Tranfer  the goodness to a lovely jar 

And that's that.. some cheese of the cashew.

But wait, you need to eat it.. Smear all over the bread situation, cut up the tomato, place big fat slabs directly onto cashew butter and spinkle with a salt and pepper.

SImply the best… Better then all the rest!

Happy today! Stay cool my friends…stay cool.

-C


 Cashew Cheese and a juicy tomato situation 

makes about 1 1/2 cups of creamy, cheesy goodness

  • 1 cup of raw unsalted cashew soaked in water for about an hour 
  • 1/2 cup fresh water
  • 2-4 tablespoons nutrional yeast 
  • juice of a lemon
  • 2-3 cloves garlic (optional )
  • salt and pepper

And not that you have to, but having some freshy tomatoes and some nice bread to eat the cheese on is pretty fantastical. 

After you cashews have been soaking for about an hour, strain water and add them and all of the other ingredients to a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Scoop into a jar.

Eat some right away on a hunk of fresh bread with lots of thick cuts of fresh tomato and place the rest in the fridge.

The cheese will get a bit thicker after being refrigerated for a while.

Use on anything , in anything, or all on it's own. Licking jar clean is encouraged.

 

In Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Savory, Vegan Tags nuts, cashew, cashew cheese, vegan, gluten free, dairy free, protein, heathy, raw, sandwich
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Lentil Tacos with Garden Veggie Salsa

September 1, 2015 Colleen Stem
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HEY Hey Hey… It's Taco TUESDAY, which means that you are obligated as consumer of food to eat some tacos today!

So ok, I am not going to lie, these tacos were not actually made on a Tuesday (GASP) but were made in lu of pizza Friday (another GASP!!) 

But guess what? No one died. People were happy. Food was fantastic, and there was no mention of the pizza that was not.  So sure, taco tuesday is totally a thing around here, but  you know how "Nobady puts baby in a corner"..  well nobody buts tacos in a corner. We don't let the day of the week depict when tacos are eaten cause we think tacos are for everyday!

And these tacos, well, I got down with these. Made with lentils, cause lentils are the best, and topped with a hearty scoop of super fresh, chunky veggie salsa…. Not much is better then that. Easy and fast with lots of pretty in every bite, these tacos are a great addition to any taco dinner rotation!

Now lets get taco-ing!!!

The stuff. First off, you are going to need some type of taco shell.. soft or hard or both , that is entirely up to you.( I made taco shells a little early in the day, but store bought is totally cool.) Also need lentils, water to cook the lentils, a jalapeño (optional), taco seasoning (pre blended or your own blend) and onion. Also needed is a gigantic tomato, some red cabbage, a few kale leaves, a lime, and salt and pepper.

To get this party started, chop up half the onion, the tomato, cabbage ,and kale and toss into a big bowl. Oh, and chop up the cilantro and toss that in as well.

Sprinkle with salt and add the juice of the lime. Mix oh mix and set aside to let all the flavors meld.

Now that the salsa is doing it's thing, chop up the jalapeño and the other half of onion and toss into a big skillet and place on medium heat.

And when the bits start to brown like so...

Dump the lentils in to the pan with water.Bring it all  to a boil then turn heat down to low.. Add in the taco seasoning and sprinkle of salt and pepper and place some type of lid on ithe pan.

And simmered until cooked.

Note. Check the lentils every few minutes while they are cooking. If you think they seems to dry, add in another 1/2 cup of water.

Now it's ssembly time! Lentils in shell, topped with a generous amount of  salsa. That's it! Maybe some guacamole would be nice (I had an avocado saved for guac, but it was rotten on the inside.. I was super pissed) But with or without, these are some freak yeah yummy tacos! I served my next to a bed of some jasmine rice which was nice, but do what you want my friends. 

Happy Taco Tuesday! (or any taco day!)

-C


Lentils Tacos with Garden Veggie Salsa

Makes about 8 -10 tacos

For the Lentil Filling

  • 1 cup dried lentils
  • 2 1/2 -3 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons taco seasoning*
  • 1/2 of an onion
  • 1 jalapeño 

Fot the Garden Veggie Salsa

  • 2 big tomatoes (or one gigantic tomato)
  • 1/4 head of red(or green) cabbage (about 2 cups shredded)
  • 1/2  of an onion
  • 4-5 kale leaves
  • 1 juicy lime (2 if they are not very juicy)
  • a bunch of cilantro 
  • salt and pepper

And don't forget the taco shells!

*Note. You can use any type of taco seasoning that you like, store bought or home made. I make my own with cumin, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little coriander. 

Dice the tomato and 1/2 the onion into small chunks and toss into a big bowl. Finely chop the cabbage an the kale into small shreds and toss that into the bowl. And chop up as much cilantro as you would like and that goes into the bowl as well. Spinkle with some salt and add in the juice of the lime.  Mix everything all around and set aside.

Once the salsa is made and sitting, chop the jalapeño and other half of onion and toss into a large skillet. Place on medium heat for a few minutes until the pepper and onion start to brown. Now dump in dried lentils and 2 1/2 cups of water. Turn heat to high and bring to a boil, them back down to low. Seaosn with salt, add in the taco seasoning, and stick a lid (or cover with something), and let simmer for about 20- 25 minutes or until the lentils have absorbed  all the water and are nice and soft. If you find the lentils are still hard and there is no liquid, , add in another 1/2 cup of water. 

Once the lentils are cooked to your liking, remove from heat and get assemble tacos. 

Scoops some lentil mixture into shells. Add on a big scoop of the fresh veggie salsa and eat with you face.

Guacamole, cheese, sour cream, or whatever are optional topping that you may consider adding but are definitely not necessary.  . 

 

 

In recipes, Gluten Free, Savory, Vegan Tags Lentil, tacos, Lentil Tacos, Garden Veggie Salsa, Vegan, Gluten free, healthy, protein, dairy free, summer, veggies, mexican, clean eating, whole food, Taco Tuesday
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