Join Me For Merienda: Jesscafé - V,GF- Toasted Quinoa Salad

Hello everybody!

I hope that for most of you that spring has already begun and shown its signs. Over here, where I reside, it's still cold and in fact snowing at the moment =0 

The following recipe was requested a few months ago and I had it in queue, but didn't get to have all of the components to post it until now, but here we go =)

This is a multiple step recipe, but it is still a really easy one to put together, especially if you prepare some of the components in advance. It's also pretty simple because I use an electric rice cooker to get a near perfect quinoa cooked before adding in more flavorful ingredients, which create a simple dish with depth and complexity of flavor.

Jesscafé -Vegan and Gluten Free Toasted Quinoa Salad

Ingredients:

2 C Toasted Organic Quinoa*
3 1/2 C Filtered Water
1 TB Good Olive Oil 

1 Bay leaf

1 TB Shawarma spice or other favorite spice blend of your choice

1 Tsp Turmeric

1 Tsp Sumac
1 Tsp  Toasted Cumin Seeds
Dash of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt
Freshly Ground Black Pepper to your taste

2-3 generous pinches of:

Organic- Basil, Oregano, Dill etc. (Use the herbs that you like)

Organic Dried Apricots/Cherries/Currants/Cranberries etc. (Your choice)

Toasted Sunflower Seeds/Pepitas/Sliced Almonds/Walnuts/ orPine nuts if you're feeling fancy ;p

Sauteed Vegetables-

Carmelized Red Onion

Variety of Bell Peppers chopped
Organic carrots chopped

Garlic

Vinaigrette:

1/3 C Apple Cider Vinegar

1 C  or less
Organic Extra Virgin Olive oil or any good quality oil

2-3 Tsp Good quality mustard
The rest of the herbs

Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Pinch of Organic Sugar or organic fruit preserve of your choice (I have used an orange marmalade before)

* You could make this recipe without toasting the quinoa first and it will taste good, but it will not have the same nutty flavor and texture to it.

Method:

In order to expedite this recipe, you might consider making the vinaigrette, cooking the vegetables and caramelizing the onions the day before you cook the quinoa.

Caramelizing the red onions should be pretty straight forward, I cut the oinions into half moons, separate the rings, saute them in a good amount of olive oil, tossed with a tiny pinch of Himilayan pink salt and set to medium low heat and cook it down for about 20-25 minutes.

Making the vinaigrette is also fairly simple, just put everything together in a glass jar with a lid and shake vigorously. Stick it in the fridge. Done.

This is a recipe for a toasted quinoa salad, so you need to toast the quinoa first as well as the cumin seeds.I am not going to go into detail about pan toasting right now, but if you really want one in the future, I'll consider writing a future post about it. Here's a photo of the toasted quinoa:

Let the toasted quinoa cool slightly before putting it into your insert pot for the rice cooker, along with the bay leaf, toasted cumin seeds, shawarma spice, turmeric,sumac, half  the total amount of the herbs, 3 1/2 cups of filtered water, Himalayan pink Salt, freshly ground black pepper and olive oil. Stir together and then close the lid, select the 'White Rice,' setting and let it run its cycle. Once cycle is over, open up and check to see that the quinoa is done, you should be able to crush the grain easily, but it should still have some body to it (this is what the toasting lends to the quinoa, aside from a nuttier taste as well). Fluff the quinoa and then let it sit uncovered for 5 minutes more.

At this point, you could either leave the quinoa in the cooking pot or move it into another big mixing bowl.
Personally, as long as I have room and the heat doesn't bother the next components of the recipe, I'd rather keep it where it is, rather than dirtying another bowl/dish. My original toasted quinoa salad incorporated the vinaigrette, but you really could skip the vinaigrette all together and just mix in the sauteed vegetables and rest of the herbs and season to taste; if that's what you would prefer to do.

Fluff the quinoa again and then add in the vinaigrett in small increments and mix it in gently, taste the quinoa before adding in more vinaigrette. You don't want the quinoa swimming in it! Once you get it to the taste you want, you can then add in the cooked bell peppers,caroots, carmelized red onions, toasted sunflower seeds, dried fruit of your choice and add more herbs; if you desire. Keep tasting it as you're adding in the different components. Adjust your seasoning as you see fit. The residual heat of the quinoa helps the vinaigrette to be absorbed, but remember that as the quinoa cools down, the flavors will intensify.

I didn't add in any further fresh herbs to this mix because it was for a party and I wasn't sure if they enjoyed cilantro or not. You could always put some on the side as a option though =)

If you want a bit more herbal taste for the salad, you could add in some chopped flat leaf parsley/mint/cilantro (if you're not afraid of it ;p), probably an hour to 2 hours prior to serving,

You will be using a rice cooker for this recipe, but if you don't have a rice cooker, you can by all means cook it using the standard stovetop, just follow the directions on the package except for the water measurements, I would still use less than recommended. The usual ratio is for every 1 cup of Quinoa, use 2 cups of water, but in my recipe I suggest that you only use 3 1/2 cups of  filtered water for the 2 cups of dry Quinoa.

I bought this rice cooker (that also has a steam basket) for  a little under dollars. It's been a very good investment because I use it all the time, for a multitude of different dishes. 

My rice cooker has buttons for different settings, but you can still do this in a simpler rice cooker that only has an on/off switch, just check on it after it decides that it's 'done,' with its first cycle, if it still looks uncooked then go ahead and push the on switch again, but check it halfway during the cycle.

The flavors will keep on deepening as it sits overnight in the fridge. I would only mix in the final garnishes prior to serving at your gathering. I would also recommend letting the salad warm up a bit (not all the way to room temperature) before serving; so that all the flavors can be fully tasted.

I am sure that I may have skipped something, but I am more than happy to fill in any blanks. Please feel free to ask questions in the comment section.

May you all be well and enjoy this dish with your friends and loved ones!

Love,
Jessica

Join Me for Merienda: V and GF Homemade Dark Chocolate

Hello everybody!

So, I've been busy freezing in my region, but trying to keep warm by keeping busy by testing out recipes etc.This is a quick post and is originally derived from a post that I shared for the 21 Day- Dairy Free Challenge, group on facebook that was sponsored by So Delicious. If you follow my blog; you know already that I am Vegan; so joining the group was for fun and also a way to show support to others who are trying to change their lifestyles. It's been fun so far and helping one another in whatever capacity that we are able to do so, has always been my way of life =) 

I love dark chocolate and I do believe that dark chocolate loves me back, too! =)

I will have to keep on refining the recipe, but for now, here is a a decent one that yields a yummy and dark chocolatey bar of goodness. You can play around with the ingredient add-in's as you go along.

This one was embedded with more toasted sunflower seeds and toasted coconut

You can see the original batch has a grittier texture due to the coconut sugar, as well as the add in's of coconut and sunflower seeds.

This is the 'plain,' batch made with the 'powdered,' organic coconut sugar

This 'plain,' batch with the 'powdered,' organic coconut sugar, yielded a smoother texture

It's really easy and quick to put together as long as you have all the ingredients.

Ingredients:

Roughly a little more than 1/4C of organic coconut oil, melted

4-5Tb Cacao Powder

A Handful of organic coconut sugar (you can grind this with a mixer into a powdered sugar consistency; if you want a smoother bar, otherwise mixing it in as is, will just give you a crunchier texture)

A pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt

A tiny splash of pure vanilla

*A pinch of powdered Moringa

Toasted unsweetened coconut

Toasted unsalted sunflower seeds

*This can easily be omitted, as it may be difficult to procure in the U.S.

Method:

Melt the coconut until liquid, add in the sweetener of your choosing and dissolve to combine as much as possible. Then add in cacao combining well until fully incorporated. Next add in the Himalayan pink sea salt, pure vanilla, optional powdered Moringa and lastly a handful of the toasted coconut and sunflower seeds.

Pour the mixture into the mold of your choosing and tap it to remove excess air bubbles. Top with additional sunflower and coconut; if desired.

Place into the fridge or freezer to harden uncovered for at least 15 minutes.

I usually wrap my bars in parchment paper and then keep them in a container with a cover in the fridge. I'm sure you could freeze them, but would they really need to last that long? ;p

I love being able to make these bars from scratch because it's really economical and a fun way to satiate your creative pleasure and craving, while still being healthy.

As I mentioned earlier, you can play around with flavors and add-in's.

I tried one batch adding in some organic orange oil and it reminded me of some fruit truffles that I had enjoyed in the past. I had another batch that had some organic lavender and ground vanilla bean sugar mixed with it and it tasted lovely =)

I did try to do a batch with carob powder and it didn't taste bad, but the texture is much different than cacao based bars (as anybody who has eaten carob confections vs. chocolate confections in the past, knows!) So, I will be working on that version for the future. 

This original recipe was thrown together in a span of less than 15 minutes; so I'm sure I'll be updating it again in the future. Until then, please feel free to follow this blog and leave me comments or questions in the section below!

Wishing you all much success!!!!

Love,

Jessica <3

*P.S. : The formatting for this post was weird, but as long as you can read it, I'll be glad.
I'll come back later and change it up ;)

Join Me for Merienda: V,GF- Jesscafé Nog French Toast (to a new year!) =)

       It's almost a new year and what other way to ring it in (aside from the bells, okay), but with a toast. 

How about some Jesscafé Nog French Toast? If not for tomorrow morning, how about for a new year's brunch? It's very easy; especially if you've already made a batch of Jesscafé Nog; then it's even easier to make. There are just a few additions and voila; you'll have something awesome to share with your loved ones.

Vegan and Gluten Free- Jesscafé Nog French Toast

Ingredients:

1C of Jesscafé Nog *

3 Tb of Organic Ground Flax Seed

Extra Saigon Cinnamon

A tad bit more organic cane or coconut sugar, adjust it to your taste

A few slices of toasted bread GF or Non-GF of your choice

*If starting from scratch:

 simply blend 1 cup of coconut milk beverage 

with a dash himalayan pink sea salt,cinnamon, nutmeg and 1tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:

Pour the mixture into a shallow dish and dip each piece of toast into the mixture and flip over once, being sure not to let it become overly saturated.  In a pan with perhaps a bit of coconut oil or any oil of your choice bring the pan to a medium hot temperature and cook each slice for 1-3 minutes on the first side and then flip and cook for additional 1-2 minutes. You can add a bit more sugar for serving, but that's entirely up to your taste. I didn't picture it here, but serving it alongside some fresh fruit is always nice or maybe with a nice organic marmalade or ginger syrup would be delightful too. 

Batter or Custard up?

Slices are cooking in the pan 

Happy slices on a plate.

I've also experimented with making this into a baked french toast, but I wasn't satisfied with the current version; so I'll keep working on that, but here's a photo of one of the versions with organic banana slices tucked in between the slices and on top. 

Getting dressed

Taking a bath

Sun tanned and golden?

Okay, well that's it for this year. I'll keep working on some good things for the new year. Wishing you all happiness, love, prosperity, wellness and good health for the new year and for many years to come as well!

Love,

Jessica

Join Me for Merienda: V,GF- Jesscafé Nog aka a 'Hug in a mug.'

      It's almost the end of this year and I wanted to share a hug full of love with you all. Around this time of year people are gathering and celebrating and sometimes when you have restrictions; you may not  feel like you can fully participate in all of the fun, but fear not, there are many ways to join in the festivities. I don't know how popular Egg Nog, is as a beverage these days, but when I was younger, I did enjoy having it, sparingly because it could sometimes be cloyingly sweet. At present, I've only had Egg Nog-like beverages a few times over the years since and the vegan ones that I've tried are good and I don't think that my version of Nog could replace the ones on the market, but it's definitely more economical and you can make as much or as little as you want of it.

I don't own a clear mug; so here is the top view from my ceramic mug. I don't think that this is the prettiest shot of the Nog, but if you could smell it through the screen; you wouldn't care either ;p

V and GF- Jesscafé Nog

Ingredients:

3C Unsweetened Coconut Milk Beverage

A few dashes of Saigon Cinnamon

A dash of Nutmeg

1tsp Pure Vanilla Extract

1/3C or less of Organic Cane or Coconut Sugar

Tiny pinch of Himalayan pink sea salt

Method:

In a tall pot, mix all of the ingredients together, except for the pure vanilla extract. Carefully bring it to a simmer, stirring it constantly (it WILL boil over; if you leave it unattended). I recommend cooking it for at least 10-12 minutes. You should taste it and adjust to your liking, add in the pure vanilla extract after cooking and incorporate it well.

My version of Nog, will not have that same thick mouth feel that true nog or the commercially sold vegan nog have, but it is still tasty =)

You can modify the same ingredients for my Nog and turn it into a vegan custard mixture to make vegan french toast/bread pudding. I will post a recipe for that tomorrow because afterall, what would a new year be without a good toast? ;p

Wishing you all very happy holiday and hoping that the new year will bring you many wonderful and good things for your lives including good health and happiness <3

Love,

Jessica

Join Me for Merienda: Summer Refrescos

So, I am cutting it close right now for it will soon be August in less than an hour.

If I weren't so particular about my entries; you would already have stacks upon stacks of digital entries from me. Alas, I guess that I can dedicate this one to my family and the spirit of Mabuhay. A cousin of mine was asking me for some juicing ideas; so I've just been tagging her in my latest photo posts to my food album on the book of face. Well, pinsan ko (my cousin) here are some formal recipes for drinks or 'Summer Refrescos,' as I have been calling them in my photo posts. She asked me to make sure that they fit the criteria for her part of the world, which means using mainly things that can easily be found in the Philippines; so this project was fairly easy to accomplish. I mean, they have some absolutely amazing varieties of fruit with which to work and if I had my hands on them year round.... ooooh!  

Here are some simple ideas for drinks to help quench your thirst on a hot summer day or just a hot day in general depending on  in which part of the world you live ;) 

All of these recipes are really simple, which is the way we should try to keep everything in our lives, right?

I save a lot of money by buying whole fruit and doing the cutting, prepping and freezing of them myself.

I always have labeled bags/containers of them in my freezer at all times; so it makes it very easy to experiment with different combinations.

The further nutrition boosting items that I use in most of my blends; usually include either organic flax, organic chia, a raw nut/seed, green tea powder (Matcha), Malunggay powder (Moringa Oleifera) or other greens like organic baby kale, spinach etc. The greens I usually prep and freeze them as well for ease of use. If you freeze your items; then there's no need to add in ice.

Jesscafé's Frozen Limeade

Ingredients:

1C filtered water or if you want to make it even more spectacular; use coconut water

Juice of 1-2 limes

Handful of ice

Dash of Agave syrup or the sweetener of your choice (may I recommend anything natural over artificial? =)

*For a bit of heat; you could add in a small dash of either Powdered Smoked Chipotle or Cayenne pepper

Optional: you could add in a few leaves of mint or basil before blending for an herbal note

Method:

Simply put them in your blender or in my case a Nutribullet and blend until the ice is slushy

Pour in a glass and enjoy!

Ah, Limemade, how you quench my thirst =)

Jesscafé's Watermelon and Tamarind Chiller

Ingredients:

1C filtered water

Handful of Frozen Watermelon Chunks

1-2 Tb of pure Tamarind puree* (this can be found at Asian or Indian groceries)

1-2 tsp of ground organic flax/organic chia

Dash of Agave or any natural sweetner to taste

Optional additions: Dash of Cayenne pepper for some heat

*Tamarind adds a tangy and sour element; so adjust it to your taste

Method:

Simply put them in your blender or in my case a Nutribullet and blend until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

So slushy!

Mabuhay!

Jesscafé's Cantaloupe Whirl or Ode to Filipino Ice Candy

Ingredients:

1C filtered water

Handful of Frozen Cantaloupe Chunks

2-3 Frozen Pineapple Chunks

1-2tsp of Organic ground flax or organic chia

1tsp of Malunggay powder*

Optional: Dash of organic Agave to sweeten, but if your fruit was ripe when you initially froze it; then you won't need any additional need for sweeteners

*If you cannot find Malunggay powder; you can simply omit or substitute it with spirulina 

Method:

Simply put them in your blender or in my case a Nutribullet and blend until everything is thoroughly combined. Pour in a glass and enjoy!

The ingredients in the Nutribullet cup before blending. I used Salba chia in this blend.

All mixed up and ready to drink!

Okay, well I am going to polish this post a bit more tomorrow, but look for more of my 'Summer Refresco, ' series. It seems to be working at the moment =)

Mabuhay! Cheers! To your Health!

Love,

Jessica

Join Me for Merienda: Double Edition - V,GF - Green Papaya Salad and a recipe for an Italian Style herbed Vinaigrette

I really am not a huge fan of ripe papaya. I always liked the juice (so did my late Lola Frances), but the ripe fruit on its own was a little 'close,' for my liking. However green papaya, is in a different league. It's crunchy and versatile and can be used for pickles and salads. I have been making different variations on this kind of Green Papaya Salad for the past year now. I recently made it for a family gathering and a lot of people were requesting a recipe for it; so here it is. 

It is loosely based off of the Thai Som Tam, but obviously I have not used all the traditional ingredients because a few of them are not vegan (aka Nam Pla/Fish sauce). Some people have commented that it is similar tasting to Atsara (a Filipino style of sweet and sour pickle, using a variety of different vegetables). 

Whatever you think it tastes like, it is a very light and refreshing salad. The crispness of the shredded green papaya and carrot play nicely together in the sweet, sour, salty flavorful dressing.

This is one of many permutations of my Green Papaya Salad. This version includes the turmeric and red pepper flakes.

V,GF-  Jess' Green Papaya Salad 

Ingredients:

1 Large Green Papaya

3-4 Organic Carrots

For the Dressing-

3-4 Minced Garlic cloves

3-5 Chopped Green Onions/Scallions

1/3C Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

1/4C Canola/Safflower/Rice Bran Oil (any neutral oil)

2-3 Tb of Organic Agave,Organic Cane Sugar or Organic Palm Sugar

Generous Pinch of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt and or 1 Tb GF Tamari

Fresh Ground Black Pepper to taste

*Dash of Sesame Oil

*Pinch of Turmeric

*Pinch of Red Pepper Flakes

*Coarsley chopped Organic Cilantro to Garnish

* A squeeze of lemon or lime juice

*Optional Items

This is the special peeler that I use to 'grate,' the papaya and carrots.

A close up of the blade

Method:

Grate the Papaya using a special serrated peeler. I bought mine from a local Asian market for a little under 3 dollars, but if you can't find one of these; you can just cut the papaya into big strips and julienne them with a chef knife. I've also seen people do a very fancy method of hacking at the whole papaya to make tons of indentations and then cutting it vertically, but I'm not an expert; so I just stick to using my peeler. (They do sell pre-grated green papaya at some Asian markets, but it can be a bit pricey, my local market sells it for around 2.99 a pound, but buying it whole is only 99 cents a pound; so you can see the difference.

Do the same thing for the carrots and set them aside in a big bowl. If you're not going to make the salad straight away; then I would recommened rinsing the papaya strips and carrots strips under cold water and then salting them (as if you were going to start making some sort of pickle). You can let it rest overnight either outside of in the fridge.

To make the dressing, you just need to mix the minced garlic, chopped green onions, raw apple cider vinegar, agave or sugar,pink salt, black pepper, canola oil. Blend them together and let it sit for a few minutes and then taste it to adjust for seasoning. Then combine with the grated papaya and carrot, toss using gloved hands in order to distribute the dressing through and through. You could eat it straight away, but this salad only gets better as it ages (if you haven't eaten it already ;p

In an airtight container I've been able to keep it fresh for a little more than a week. You just need to keep it in the coldest part of your fridge.

I like to eat this salad with a little crushed peanut, raw cashews or raw sunflower seeds, but it tastes awesome, all on its own as well. 

Bonus Recipe

Shiny and golden from the Extra Virgin Olive Oil

This dressing was made the other day for a dinner with some friends and they really enjoyed it; so I've tried to encapsulate it here. As always you can always play around with ingredients to come up with something that is just right for your own tastes.

V,GF- Italian Herb Vinaigrette

1/3 C Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/4 C Apple Cider Vinegar

Favorite dried herbs: Oregano, Basil, Rosemary,Thyme

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1 Tb Organic Sugar/Agave Nectar

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

2 Diced tomatoes

2-3 minced garlic cloves

2-3 chopped green onions

*pinch of smoked spanish paprika

*Optional 

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients together and let them marinate for at least a few hours up until overnight before serving.

Okay, well those are some pretty simple recipes for Salads and their dressings. I hope that you'll give them a try someday. 

Until my next post, peace, good eating and happy cooking!

Love,

Jessica

Join me for Merienda: V,GF- Cilantro and Parsley Pesto

Well, I am squeaking this one in, but I didn't want to leave this month without an entry.

This is a very quick recipe to put together; so here we go!

One of my favorite pestos used to be the Genovese style, which is surprising because I adore pine nuts and the Genovese style uses cashew nuts (I really do love cashews too, though). Being a vegan and not being able to enjoy the traditional pestos due to their cheese components; that salty complex tanginess was missing from the pestos; when I just used the straight up herbs, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil. 

So, nutritional yeast, stepped into the picture and brought back that complex salty taste that comes from cheese. I wouldn't say that it's an exact match, but it sure does taste good and work well with the other ingredients. At my local store it sells for 8.99 lb, but I never buy a full pound; so it doesn't cost that much in the end and you don't need tons in this recipe; so go ahead and get a tiny bit; you won't be disappointed.

Jessified, Vegan and Gluten Free Cilantro and Parsley Pesto

1 Handful of Cilantro (stems and leaves)

1 Handful of Parsley (leaves only)

1-2 Tb of Raw Sunflower Seeds

1-3 Cloves of Garlic, chopped

1 Tb of Nutritional Yeast

3Tb of Olive Oil

3 Tb of Raw Apple Cider Vinegar

Dash of Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste

Method:

Put all of the ingredients together in the machine of your choosing, a food processor, blender or what I currently use a nutribullet. Let it pulse a few times before letting it run until almost smooth. If you find that you need more liquid a few dashes of filtered water, will help it run smoothly. You don't want to process it until completely smooth because you want some texture to the pesto.

This was a version that I mixed with Italian Fusilli and sauteed Chinese Sher li Hon. Super delicious together =)

You can use this for pasta, but of course you can eat it with just about anything you can think of. Spread it on crackers, toasted bread, dip veggies in it, mix it in with some hummus to make an awesome pesto hummus, use it to marinate, facial mask.... oh well, maybe not the last one. It's a bit garlicky for that application ;p

I hope that you enjoy this easy pesto recipe. I make extra batches of it and keep it in a glass jar in the fridge, always making sure that I put enough oil on the surface to protect the pesto. It will keep for about 2 weeks; if you store it in the coldest spot in the fridge and do the aformentioned oil 'trick.' Although, it may not last even two weeks; if you decide to experiment with a bunch of different applications =)

I hope that this March, hasn't been too 'mad,' for you all and hope that April, will bring us better weather and even more good things into our lives.

Happy Cooking!

Love,

Jessica