Join Me for Merienda: Vegan and Gluten Free Raw Sunflower Seed CreamCheese/Ricotta/Dip/Spread/Sauce

Hello again,

I started playing around with sunflower seeds a while back, but only recently tried making more things from them because the cost of  most nuts is pretty high (and probably always will be because of how long they take to grow and how they have to be harvested etc. Vegan Cheese and cream sauces made from cashews are heavenly, but you know that it can be pricey to buy those 16oz bags, even from the discounted places. Sunflower seeds however are always usually in a good price range and readily available. I normally pay 1.99 or less for 1lb of raw sunflower seeds at my local markets. Contrast that to cashews at a cost of 7-9 dollars per pound and it quickly eats up your grocery budget. I'm not saying not to buy cashews because, c'mon cashews, as long as you're not allergic to them; they are awesome. I mean cashew nut butter, so good!!!!

Honestly, I feel fancy when I can indulge in some of that ;p

Anyway, sunflower seeds are cost effective and with a bit of finesse you can create something pretty darn delectable with them.  This is also great for any of those who are allergic to nuts or simply prefer to avoid them due to various health issues.

Garlic and Dill version atop a slice of multiseed toast

Jesscafé Vegan and Gluten Free  Raw Sunflower Seed Cream Cheese/Ricotta/Dip/Spread/Sauce 

(All of these slashes are making Guns N' Roses nervous ;p

Ingredients:

1 1/3C Soaked Raw Sunflower Seeds

1/3C or less of a neutral oil like Canola etc.

1-2tsp Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

1Tb Organic Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

2-3TB Cold Filtered Water

So let's get into the method:

You absolutely need to soak the sunflower seeds and the longer they soak the smoother your end product will be. My preference is at least 3 days, I usually have a glass jar in the fridge with some soaking in them; so I'm ready to make some;if need be.

After 3 days the water looks like this

Soaked and rinsed

After soaking you'll notice that the water turns kind of dark and that's normal. You need to rinse them well and remove any excess water before using them in this recipe.

I use a nutribullet to process these, with the small cup and the whipping/grinding blade attachment.

You may need to adjust depending on your equipment, but most food processors should work well.

Make sure that you do not go over the 'Max Fill Line,' of the cup or you'll have a messy problem on your hands. 

You simply put all of the ingredients into the cup, screw on the lid and shake everything around for a few seconds and then let it come together for about 30 seconds. If it seems like the blades won't mix it well enough, you'll need to add a tad bit more of the cold filtered water, shake it around with the lid on and then let it go to blend into a smoother consistency. It should take less than 3 minutes total to get everything blended well.

Right after blending

It's pretty much done, once you've blended it, but you of course can build upon this base and add in other yummy components for sweet verisons like cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, chocolate or for savory verisons like garlic, nutritional yeast, scallions, red onions, sesame, dill, rosemary, oregano, mint,  roasted red peppers and so forth.

Super duper garlic, dill, smoked paprika, turmeric, black pepper with a dusting of chipotle on top

I recommend leaving it in the fridge overnight before using; so that the flavors get a chance to bloom. The following day you'll also see that the texture of it will improve and have more body to it. 

As mentioned in my long title, you can use this for a myriad of things, I even have thinned it out to make a creamy sauce for pasta ( add in some extra garlic, black pepper and a dash of nutmeg for something reminiscent of alfredo sauce flavors). It's not going to be as smooth as a cashew cream would be, but the flavor of the sunflower is subtle, still present, but it's really tasty all the same.

I hope that you'll try this out and make some awesome recipes with it.

I know that I'll probably be bringing some to the next dinner party =)

Wanna come? ;p

I'm sure that you might even be able to make some air cured and aged vegan cheese with this mixture, with the right conditions. I unfortunatley cannot test it out at this time because I don't have a great space to set it out, where it wouldn't be disturbed, but I will be sure to post and update about it; if I ever get a chance to make some.

Wishing you all good health
and happy cooking as always <3

Love,
Jessica

Join Me for Merienda: End of the Year post: V,GF- Organic Kidney Bean and Beet Hummus

Well....

Yes, I need to catch up on these posts, again!

So, before 2015 is gone in my part of the world, here is a post that I promised someone that I'd write about, a few months ago. I first made this after my brother told me about a beet hummus that he had purchased at Trader Joe's and really enjoyed. I personally hadn't tried the beet hummus, but I like beets and I like hummus; so it would probably be a winner. 

After the first batch of this beet hummus that I made; I knew that it would be joining the ranks of the other hummus varieties that I make =)

I know that the deep magenta color may confuse some people (or even scare some of them), but encourage them to give it a try. Even the people who don't normally like beets may enjoy this one.

This is a super nutritious and delicious hummus and I hope that you will give it a try some day.

V, GF- Organic Kidney Bean and Beet Hummus

Ingredients:

1 Can of drained Organic Kidney Beans
About a 1/2C of steamed and peeled Beets

1 Clove of Garlic minced

1/4C Canola or any other neutral oil
1tsp of Tahini

Juice of half a Lemon

Himilayan Pink Sea salt to taste

A grind of fresh Black Pepper

On this batch, I topped it with some shelled hemp seeds and sesame seeds. Yummy!

Method:

Simply combine everything into your blending apparatus of choice (blender, nutribullet (just watch those 'max fill,' lines) food processor and blend until homogenized. It should take less than 2 minutes depending on your appliance.

You can serve it straight away or store it in an airtight container in the fridge. I would eat it within 3-5 days, but honestly it doesn't last that long in my household. Eat it with fresh cut veggies, on pita bread and crackers etc.

I wish you all a very happy new year and I hope that it will be filled with good health, wellness, love and happiness for you all. I certainly always hope for a more peaceful world and for everybody to be compassionate to one another as well as themselves.

Love,

Jessica  <3<3<3

Join me for Merienda: V,GF- Simple Smoothie of Deliciousness: Chocolate, Banana and Blueberry with some added benefits =)

Well, it's almost the end of February and I wanted to make sure to post this month, instead of letting it slip by once again. It's still bitterly cold out and I've been making a lot of stews and soups, but I felt like going contrary to this trend and post a recipe for a smoothie today. 

Honestly, smoothie recipes are simple. You just put all of the ingredients into a blender and let it run, until well blended. So, I'm sure that you've got a few standards in your pocket already, but if you feel like giving this one a go; then by all means, have at it! 

One of the simplest versions of this smoothie involves 5 ingredients:

Frozen Organic Bananas

Tumaco Cocoa Powder

Coconut Milk/Almond Milk or any Vegan milk of your choice

Organic Flax Meal

Organic Agave Nectar or a few Organic Dates (to sweeten)

This photo just looks weird, but here are some of the ingredients waiting in the Nutribullet container to go swimming with Coconut Milk.

However this version includes frozen blueberries because it's winter and we need a bit more boost of those antioxdiants and anthocyanins to bolster our immune system. You could also add in a bit of ginger into this and that would really add some punch to it.

So here is the 'official,' recipe for this version:

V, GF- Chocolate, Banana and Blueberry Smoothie

1 Frozen Organic Banana

A Handful of Frozen Blueberries

*3 Heaping Teaspoons of Tumaco Cocoa Powder (any good quality Cocoa powder will do)

1 Cup of Coconut Milk or any Vegan Milk of your choice (water will do, but it won't be the same!)

1 Tablespoon of Organic Flax meal

1 Tablespoon of Organic Agave Nectar or 2-3 Organic Dates

*You can substitute Carob powder, but you may want to add less than 3 heaping teaspoons, as Carob tends to have a sweeter taste.

I use a Nutribullet; so I just make sure that the liquid doesn't surpass the 'Max,' line. Make sure that your lid is on tightly before you blend; or else you'll have a mess to clean up ;p

I pulse it a few times before letting it run continuously for about 20-30 seconds. 

It's a very satisfying smoothie in my opinion; so it's a nice treat to both your tastebuds and your body, as it supplies healthy nutrients, good fiber amongst many other benefits.

You can even take this smoothie and freeze it into popsicles, for a frostier treat.

All blended up and ready to be savored.

I think that I may still post a recipe for a Ginger Tea, that I make, but we'll see. It's getting down to -8F over here; so it depends on how thawed out, I'll be tomorrow.

Thanks to my brother for this awesome magnet. It's what we do!

Mabuhay!  To your Health!  Cheers!

Love,

Jessica

Join me for Merienda: Jessified Carrot and Green Onion Bhajis

Well, I certainly did take my time, didn't I? Yes, It's been a fair amount of time since my last post. I was initially thinking of doing a show and tell post, but since I haven't transferred all those photos over yet; I thought I would let you into my laboratory aka my kitchen and share a recipe with you.

If you don't know what 'Merienda' means; it's basically like a mini meal or snack time. I'm referring to Filipino Merienda, but you find this in almost all Spanish speaking countries as well. Sometimes my relatives stretch the meaning of Merienda by putting out a whole spread and then say 'Oh, that's just a snack. C'mon eat!'

I made these last night on whim because I had already made a batch of Falafel  ( I had tried 2 different kinds from 2 separate places in the days prior and wasn't satisfied with them. I wanted that perfect crunchy and green ladened Falafel that I had once gotten from the original Steve's Backroom, Harmony Garden and Jerusalem Garden, but wasn't having much luck; so I decided to make my own. I will post a recipe for that another day) and the oil was still hot and I thought why not. 

If you're not familiar with what a Bhaji (sometimes also called Pakora) is; it is an Indian fried snack, somewhat reminiscent of a vegetable fritter or even a kind of tempura type thing. The batter is usually just made with a mix of Besan (chickpea/garbanzo bean flour), spices, mixed with water and then you add in whatever veggies you want to use and voila.

This is the brand of Besan that I used. If you're able to find organic besan or even better mill it yourself, go for it! =)

This is what Besan flour looks like. It has a bit more moisture than wheat flour.

I really don't fry food that much because I don't like dealing with the hassle of the oil sputtering and the potential to get splashback and burns, but for some foods you definitely need to fry them and all the other alternative cooking methods, simply fail to do the food justice. As long as you keep the temperature constant; the foods will come out golden and crisp. 

Jessified Carrot and Green Onion Bhajis- GF, DF, V

*You will need to heat your oil to about a medium temperature.

In order to fry these properly you need at least 2 inches of oil in the pan you'll be using.

I used a blend of Canola and Grape seed oil and it was about 1C all together.

Ingredients:

3/4C Besan Flour

1tsp Baking Powder

3/4-1 C of Filtered Water

Spice Blend- For this batch I used:

Freshly Ground Cumin, Shawarma blend, Turmeric, Cayenne, Black pepper
2TB of Freshly Ground Flax and Chia Seed
1 TB of Sesame Seeds

Handful each of Cilantro and Parsley chopped finely

2-3 Cloves minced Garlic

1/2 C of Organic Carrots finely shredded

1/2C of Green Onions diced

Pinch of Sea Salt to taste

Directions:

In a bowl mix the flour, baking powder, spice blends, sesame seeds, ground flax and chia, herbs, garlic, sea salt. Once thoroughly mixed add in the water. If you want a softer more 'hush puppy' type consistency you can leave the batter a bit drier (it'll resemble a kind of biscuit dough), but if you want a crispier Bhaji you can use more water and bring it to a tad thicker than pancake batter consistency.


Once the oil is to temperature, drop spoonfuls of the batter into the oil. I wouldn't do more than 3 at a time. The Bhajis need space to turn and also you don't want to drop the temperature of the oil otherwise you'll get soggy and oily Bhajis instead of light and crisp Bhajis. It can take anywhere from 3-5 minutes, you will need to flip them over once to insure even browning. Place the cooked Bhajis to rest on either a plate with some paper towel on it or a wire rack sitting over a sheet pan with some newspaper underneath it. If you want to season the Bhajis a bit more this would be the time to add a bit more salt or whatever spices you want. The heat will help adhere the salt of whatever you use in order to liven up the Bhajis. I personally don't usually add anything extra because I think these are flavorful enough. 

Bhajis are the ones in the forefront. In the foreground you can see some of the Falafel I had made earlier.

This is what the interior of the Bhajis look like. It reminds me a bit of a mosaic =)

Traditionally, these might be served along with a raita or chutney.

If you want to keep the Raita vegan you can substitute the yogurt for a coconut yogurt.
Here is a recipe for Raita off which you can build.

http://www.food-india.com/recipe/R001_025/R003.htm


A chutney recipe

This is one for a Mango chutney, but chutneys can also be savory as well; so feel free to search around for any other type of chutney

http://www.food-india.com/recipe/R001_025/R009.htm

It's best to eat these Bhajis after being freshly cooked, but if you need to store them and reheat them for another day; it is possible. I do not recommend reheating them in a microwave because they will just turn tough. I would say the best reheating method would be in an oven. You're not looking to cook them again so just use a low heat like maybe 200F for maybe about 10 minutes. Just place them on a baking sheet and put it on timer and when it starts beeping, make sure to wear your oven mitts (If you've never seen the movie 'Grandma's Boy' you're missing out, haha), take the tray out, let it cool for about 5 minutes before digging in once again =)

I hope you give this recipe a try. Let me know how they come out for you.

Happy Cooking to you all!

Enjoy,
Jessica