Almost Chicken Noodle Soup Recipe *Best Vegan Soup Ever*

This recipe is both healthy & delicious. It is so well seasoned that you just may think there is chicken in this recipe but nope only chickpeas, and plenty of immune boosting veggies herbs & spices. This soup is perfect for a cold winter day or to remedy a winter cold. Any how you will love it even if your not a full time vegan 🙂

 

Ingredients

• 3 ½ tbsp Jamaican Curry Powder *check ingredients to make sure vegan and gluten free* 
• 2 tbsp Chilli Powder
• 3 sprigs of thyme
• 2 bayleaves
• 3 tbsp of coconut oil
• 1 tbsp pink salt
• 1 tbsp Garlic Mrs. Dash
• 3 tbsp Italian Seasonings
• 1 tbsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
• 1 Large Purple Onion chopped
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper julienned
• 3 Stalks of Celery chopped
• 4 Organic Medium Carrots chopped
• 8 oz of organic diced tomatoes
• 3 cups of brown rice spiral noodles
• ⅓  bushel Kale roughly chopped
• ½ bushel Dandelion Greens roughly chopped
• 8 oz of cooked chickpeas
• 64 oz of spring water or more to make broth
• ⅓ cup braggs amino acids

 

Step 1: Warm coconut oil over medium high heat for 30 secs
Step 2: Add in onions allow them to become translucent

Step 3: Add garlic, red bell peppers, carrots, tomatoes, and celery wait 30 secs

Step 4: Add Salt, Italian seasoning, Curry powder, chilli powder, mrs dash, bayleaves =, and thyme wait 30 secs

Step 5: Add water and bring to a boil, after boiling Add pasta and let cook according to the instructions on the package

Step 6: Once the noodles are al dente, add in chickpeas dandelion and kale greens to cook for 5 mins and reduce heat to a simmer

Step 7: Serve & Enjoy!

 

*No pictures available because I ate it all sorry 😦 *

Cumin Vinaigrette

Yo! I’ve been telling everyone about my new favorite salad dressing recipe. I call it Cumin Vinaigrette. Technically, vinaigrette dressings are made with wine vinegar but we all know I don’t follow the rules so I’m keeping that name. Why cumin, you might ask? Other than the fact that I just love the taste, there are other benefits. Cumin seeds are the most amazing and healing creations on this earth. We’re mostly familiar with the amber colored seeds that are ground into a powder and used in to make spice blends like chili powder or Mexican seasoning for tacos and fajitas. We all know how I feel about black cumin seed oil when it comes to healing and Natural Birth Control Options. Unfortunately, it doesn’t taste as good as it’s amber sista when it comes to salad dressing, though.

What else do I love about cumin? It promotes weight loss, enhances digestion, prevents cancer, reduces cholesterol, increases bone density because of the amount of bio-available calcium it contains, reduces blood sugar, and is a good bio-available source of iron and magnesium. It’s iron content is helpful to those who are living with anemia. It’s also helpful for those who are experiencing hemorrhoids, insomnia, respiratory disorders, and rhinovirus (AKA the common cold retrovirus). Mothers who are breastfeeding will probably notice an increase in their milk supply if they consume this herb regularly. In fact, people with boils will want to add this herb to their diet as it helps to fight the infection.

I discovered cumin when I was living a vegan lifestyle and wanted some more flavor in my black bean dishes. Even though I no longer eat a fully plant based diet, I still maintain most of the practices I adopted and eating cumin is #1 on the list. So how do you make this delicacy? It’s simple. Now just like I don’t follow the rules, I rarely measure so I had to make a batch just to write this blog and actually keep track of what I put in it. You’ll want to start with my base recipe and adjust it according to your taste.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
• 1/4 cup Apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed (or more if you’d like)
• 1-2 pinches of fresh cilantro leaves
• A dash of pink salt
• A few dashes of black pepper
• A few dashes of garlic powder, optional – garlic is not recommended for electric food lifestyles
• A dash of cayenne pepper (or more if you like it hot)
• Juice from 1/4 of a lime, optional

Directions 

1. Pour the oil, vinegar, and lime juice into a glass bowl and mix with a whisk to create an emulsion.
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients.
3. Adjust the recipe according to your taste, yet remember it will taste different once it sits overnight and the spices are released to unite with the oil, vinegar, and lime.
4. Place the dressing in a container and sit it in the refrigerator overnight in a glass container (I have to admit, I rarely do this. I make it fresh and eat it fresh).
5. Enjoy with any salad of your choice – leafy greens OR black beans and quinoa OR pasta salad just to name a few options.

Tae’s Home-made Vegan Lasagna Recipe

This lasagna recipe is inspired by my grandmother’s famous amazingly tasty lasagna. To this day I haven’t tasted a lasagna quite like hers but mine have always followed her step by step process to ensure that each layer is filled with yummy goodness. Now, that I’m vegan I truly missed the great flavor of grandmas lasagna and envy others who still get to eat it. So I took it upon myself this summer to re-create this recipe with some added stylings that I have picked up through my 16 years of self taught cooking.

Ingredients

⦁ 2 packs of Brown Rice Lasagna Noodles

⦁ 1 Bushel of Kale Greens  cleaned and chopped

⦁ 8 cherry or grape tomatoes sliced

⦁ 2 medium diced red bell peppers

⦁ 1 large diced red onion

⦁ 2 minced cloves of garlic

⦁ 2 fresh sprigs of thyme (optional)

⦁ 2 Bay leaves

⦁ 4 tbsp of coconut oil

⦁ 1 pack of ground veggie meat or veggie chick’n (optional)

⦁ 1 pack of Vegan Cheddar Cheese

⦁ 1 pack of Vegan Mozerella Cheese

⦁ 1 tub of non GMO hummus ( the bigger the better and red pepper is the most tasty)

⦁ Organic Sunflower seeds ground up with Italian seasonings and a bit of pink Himalayan salt  for topping (optional)

⦁ (2) 28 oz can of organic tomato sauce

⦁ 1/3 cup agave nectar or organic cane sugar

⦁ 1/3 cup of Braggs aminos/ or coconut aminos

⦁ 4 tbsp of organic chilli powder

⦁ 1 tsp of garlic MRS dash

⦁ 3-5 tbsp of Italian seasonings

⦁ 2 tbsp of dried basil

⦁ 1 tsp of Pink Himalayan Salt

Supplies

⦁ 1 large pot

⦁ 1 large frying pan

⦁ 4 large serving spoons

⦁ 2 large serving bowls

⦁ 1 casserole dish

Assembling the Red Sauce

One of the amazing things I discovered on my journey of cooking has been to always season your own sauce! We used to buy jarred sauce when I was younger but I always felt it lacked the complexity needed to accent the flavors in most of my pasta dishes. So I began to flavor my own. This particular recipe is an adaptation of a traditional Italian red sauce with a twist of south east Asian flavor. It sounds a little weird but all this means is that it has a slight spice and smoke added into its flavor. Be it that we aren’t cooking with meat or meat products this spicy & savory flavor will aid in satisfying the meat flavor element we are accustomed to tasting in this dish. To amp up the flavor I like to make my own sauce from almost scratch. I use pureed and already made tomato sauces with no flavor. Please use organic non-BPA cans for the best flavor and healthiest results. This gives me the opportunity to infuse my own flavors into the sauce while avoiding unnecessary preservatives & sweeteners.

Step 1:  Start by adding in 2 tbsp of organic coconut oil to a large pot on medium heat.

Step 2: Once the oil is heated add 1/2 of the diced onion,  1 of the diced bell peppers,  1 of the minced garlic cloves, and cherry tomatoes in that order allowing each veggie to sweat in the pan for at least 30 sec or until it begins to get tender. Add a dash of pink Himalayan salt to caramelize the onions quicker.

Step 3: Once you’ve got your veggie mix going add in half of your total dried seasonings in now to open up and release their flavors as well.  (Organic chilli powder, garlic MRS dash, Italian seasonings, dried basil, & Pink Himalayan Salt)

Step 4: Now open and add cans of tomato and tomato sauce stir in well and let it cook through on medium heat for 3-5 mins.

Step 5 : Add in bayleaf,  sprig of thyme, fresh Italian parsley, and half of the Braggs aminos to taste stir in and let cook for another 3-5 mins

Step 6 : Taste and add more dry seasonings as well as full amount of agave or sugar stir well and let cook for 3 more mins and then turn it down to a low simmer for another 5-7 mins.

Now you have an amazing flavorful sauce that will complement this dish well.

Prepping the Noodles

This is pretty easy but just in case you don’t know how to boil noodles especially gluten free ones please follow the boiling instructions on the back of the package adding in olive oil, salt , and a bay leaf for flavor. Let them boil while you prepare the filling.

Let them drain and cool 5 mins before the filling is finished.

*TIP: Run the noodles gently under cool water to quickly cool them down. I like to use my hands to place them into the casserole dish*

Making the Filling

Now this is the part where most traditional lasagna recipes call for meat, but here you can use a veggie substitute or just veggies, I’ve done it both ways and its great either way.

Step 1:  Start by adding in 2 tbsp of organic coconut oil to a large pot on medium heat.

Step 2: Once the oil is heated add 1/2 of the diced onion,  1 of the diced bell peppers, and 1 of the minced garlic cloves in that order allowing each veggie to sweat in the pan for at least 30 sec or until it begins to get tender. Add a dash of pink Himalayan salt to caramelize the onions quicker.

Step 3:  Add in the remainder of the aminos to add to the flavor. Stir in well and let stand for another 30 sec on medium heat.

Step 4:  Add in veggie meat or chicken and let it cook through for about 6 mins or until browned. If you are using chicken let it cook for an additional 5 mins on medium low or until the chickns texture is suitable. (optional)

Step 5: Add in fresh parsley and  kale greens or any other veggies you would like to have in the dish and let it cook until it is tender and a bright green. Don’t over cook because they will be going into the oven.

Step 6: Taste and add any last seasonings.

Place into a large serving bowl with its own serving spoon.

Setting up your Stations & Assembling your Lasagna

Step 1: Make sure sauce, noodles, and filling are in their own large serving bowls with serving spoons.  Pre heat oven to 350 for 10 mins

Step 2:  Set out Hummus with own large spoon and make sure the casserole dish is centered for layering.

Step 3: Create First layer of the lasagna by  putting down noodles until the entire base of the casserole dish is covered, then add sauce, filling, hummus, then shredded cheese.

Step 4: Repeat step 3 until the casserole pan is full try to save the most cheese for the top layer to create a nice thick cheesy melted layer on top. You can also add sunflower seed topping if you so desire.

Step 5:  Place casserole dish into the oven and let it cook for 25 mins or until the top is nicely browned.

Step 6: Serve with home made ciabatta garlic bread & salad for an amazing meal the whole family will love.

Come back and let us know how you enjoyed creating this wholesome version of a fan favorite in the comments below!

Cape Verdean Styled Brown Rice *Vegan & Gluten Free*

Cape Verde is a chain of islands of the coast of Senegal & my fathers home land. The robust and delicious flavors of this country have influenced my over all style of cooking. Bay leaves & other aromatic flavors are the key to achieving our rices infamous flavor and our cooking method the key to perfect texture. A mix of Portuguese and west African flavors dancing in a merry song of deliciousness!

Ingredients

• 2-3 cups of long grain brown rice (that has been soaked for atleast a hr)
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 medium chopped tomato
• 1 chopped green bell pepper
• 3small or 2 large  bay leaves
• adobo (goya) to taste
• sea-salt to taste
• 1 tbsp badia Jamaican style curry powder   or tumeric powder(optional)
• 1/4 teaspoon mrs dash original
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Take a pot place it over a medium high heat. Put olive oil in the pan for about two mins or until the pan heats up then add garlic let it cook for 30-45 sec or until begins to brown (not burn.) Now add onions and let them cook until they BEGIN to caramelize. Then add a couple generous shakes of adobo, mrs dash, and curry powder, but a small sprinkle of seasalt. Then add green bell peppers stir then add the tomatoes and bay leaves.  Finally add the long grain brown rice, that has been soaking for atleast a hr but the longer the better, and pour water over the rice until it covers slightly over the top of the rice. Bring the water to a boil. After five minutes of boiling turn down the heat to medium and stir. Let the rice boil for about 10-15 mins or until water is almost completely boiled out but is still a bit wet and uncooked. Add a bit more adobo and sea salt. Turn the flame to low and let it steam out until the rice is almost fully cooked. Turn off the flame and let it finish steaming through.

Fluffy Yummy Gluten Free Vegan Pancakes

The funny thing is I never really liked pancakes when I was a meat eater. I was always more of a waffle girl but since cutting out a lot of the familiar things I used to eat sometimes classic savory flavors can hit the spot! A lot of store bought gluten free mixes contain soy, a product I do consume on occasion but am not a big fan of. So this recipe is very simple, straight forward, and healthy. ENJOY!

Ingredients
Dry
2 cups of gluten free all purpose flour
1 teaspoon of aluminum free baking powder
1 teaspoon of flaxseed meal (ground flax seed)
1 pinch of sea salt (optional)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon (optional)
Wet
3 teaspoons of extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cups of almond milk or enough to create desired consistency
Cooking Directions
Step 1: Mix together all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl
Step 2: Mix in 2 teaspoons of olive oil & Almond milk
Step 3: Mix until all lumps are smooth and the consistency is slightly more runny than cake mix
Step 4: Heat a cast iron pan to medium high heat with one teaspoon of olive oil.
Step 5: Once pan is heated add enough batter for one medium sized pan cake
Step 6: Wait until pancake batter begins to bubble (approx 1 min & 30 secs) then flip. Continue to cook on both sides until they are lightly toasted. (Repeat until all pancake batter is gone)
Step 7: Top with agave nectar or 100% maple syrup and serve!