Roasted Chickpea and Avocado Tacos with Lime Crema

See the recipe after the jump!

ROASTED CHICKPEA AND AVOCADO TACOS WITH LIME CREMA
Serves 4, Vegan + GF

INGREDIENTS

6" white corn tortillas
2 cans organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 purple cabbage, finely shredded
2 avocados
Organic pineapple salsa
Grape tomatoes, chopped (optional)
Cilantro, finely chopped
Sea Salt

LIME CASHEW CREMA (adapted from Love and Lemons)

1 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked for at least a few hours
1 clove of garlic
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1-3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water (more as needed)
salt, pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 415 degrees. Place the drained and rinsed chickpeas on a baking sheet and drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast the chickpeas in the oven for about 20 minutes or until they are lightly browned.
2. For the Lime Cashew Crema: Blend all the ingredients together in a high speed blender. Taste and adjust seasoning. Add more water or olive oil to achieve your desired consistency.
3. Warm tortillas and then assemble pineapple salsa, roasted chickpeas, sliced avocados, purple cabbage and sprinkle with cilantro. Enjoy!

recipe: tofu french toast

When I think of tofu pairings, my mind often jumps to savory flavors: soy sauce, basil pesto, spice rubs, the list goes on. But my sweet taste buds needed some love yesterday, so I decided to make french toast using tofu instead of bread. It turned out wonderfully, and I dare say, one of the best tofu recipes I've attempted.




Before you begin, you'll need to dry your tofu. I usually take it out of the refrigerator an hour or two before cooking, place it between several paper towels and place a heavy plate over top. After it's relatively dry, prepare your tofu marinade/mix. Here is our starting lineup...



Pour egg beater, your choice of milk (I use almond), maple syrup, splash of vanilla extract into a shallow bowl or large plate with lips.



Whisk with a fork and add a little pumpkin pie spice or cinnamon.



Next, place thin strips of tofu into the mixture and let marinate for at least 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.



Once marinated, place the tofu strips on a piece of parchment or wax paper and place in a preheated oven placed on broil.



Broil for 4-5 minutes. Watch tofu carefully for browning. Flip and continue broiling for 3-4 minutes until browned. Remove and plate.



And going in for a bite :)



Om nom nom nom...



French Toast Tofu Recipe (Serves 1)

1/4 block of firm or extra firm tofu (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup egg beater
1/8 cup milk
1/8 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Drain tofu block and pat dry thoroughly. Mix egg beater, milk, maple syrup, vanilla extract and pumpkin pie spice in shallow bowl or large plate. Place tofu in marinade and let sit for at least 20 minutes, flipping over periodically. When ready to bake, turn oven broiler on. Arrange tofu slices on baking sheet lined with parchment or wax paper. Bake 4-5 minutes each side, checking often until browned. Serve with a little maple syrup, sifted powdered sugar, and fruit for a heart-warming and heart-healthy dish.

Roasted Pepper Quinoa Burgers with Portobello Cap Buns

Yields: 3 large patties
1 red bell pepper
1 sweet orange pepper
1/2 cup canned chickpeas
1/2 cup dry Quinoa
1/4 sweet onion, diced into small pieces
2 garlic cloves
1 handful Alfalfa Sprouts
1/3 cup Japanese Panko crumbs
1 Egg
Salt, Pepper, Paprika, and/or Crusted Red Pepper Flakes
6 Large Portobello Mushroom Caps



1. Roast the peppers until nice and charred. Place the peppers in a ziplock bag for at least 5 minutes, this will make taking the charred skin off much easier.
2. Clean the charred skin off the peppers and remove the stem and seeds.
3. Throw the red peppers, garlic and chickpeas in a food processor.



Puree the mixture until smooth and it looks like this...



In a large bowl combine the cooked quinoa, diced onion, garlic, alfalfa sprouts, eggs and season to taste.



Add in the red pepper/chickpea mixture.



Add the panko gradually until the mixture is easy to work with and patties can be formed.
Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes, flipping the patties halfway through. At the same time, bake the portobello mushroom caps, cavity side up, on a separate baking sheet for 20 minutes.



And the final result...

recipe: vegan healthy all-natural ice cream

I'm not sure I can call this a recipe because it's so darn easy. And I'm not sure I can call this ice cream because it consists of just one ingredient and is vegan, dairy and sugar free. I'll just call it a guide to creating an insanely good frozen treat.

Here's what you'll need:



That's right. Just one ripe banana. Cut it into small pieces and throw it in the freezer for 2-3 hours, or until completely frozen solid.



Once frozen, throw it into a food processor and blend.



It'll look like the above at the beginning (this is after about a minute of pulsing). So keep going and scrape the edges back into the middle along the way.



After another minute or so of blending, add any extra ingredients or flavors that you love. Some additions I've tried have been:

Scoop of unsweetened dark cocoa powder
Spoonful of nut (peanut or almond) butter
Honey
1 Tablespoon instant coffee



Blend until your mixture is creamy and smooth and resembles the image above.



Scoop into a bowl and devour by itself or sprinkle some cacao nibs for a little yummy crunch.