Nick's Stuffed Cabbage

Coming soon

Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)

Just last week I joined Suzie's Farm here in Southern California. I'm very excited to belong to such a wonderful farm and I am even more excited for the organic and seasonal produce I will be receiving every other week. For more info click here. 

Wild Rocket Panini

A few weeks ago, I was exploring my motherland on a trip of a life time... drinking phenomenal wines, sipping on limoncello, attempting to speak the beautiful language, lounging on a tiny beach with the locals, eating copious amounts of carbs, soaking in the breathtaking landscapes, art, and beautiful people, touring ancient ruins, milking goats on an organic farm, befriending a donkey, and picking berries for breakfast. Although at the end of my trip I was craving an American breakfast and some good Mexican food, Italy knows what's up when it comes to food. 

Along with cigarettes, classy Italian cuss words, family, vino, scooters, never leaving the tiny towns the grew up in, etc... Italians love their "rocket" (also known as rucola, rughetta, or as we call it- arugula.) Very early in my trip, I was told that the Italians love arugula so much because, since Roman times, they have believed it to be an aphrodisiac. The best pizzas I had were simple, and topped with this flavorful green. Since a good amount of the food I had on my trip was just vegetarian, not vegan, I am hoping to adapt many of my favorite dishes I enjoyed in Italy to my vegan diet, now that I am back in my own kitchen. Here is my first attempt at a vegan dish inspired by my gastronomic adventures in Italy.

Last weekend, I found this organic wild arugula at the Long Beach Marina farmer's market (which takes place every Sunday in the Alamitos Bay Marina, for those of you who are in the area- over by Schooner or Later/ Joe's Crab Shack/ Whole Foods.) I was pretty excited about finding fresh, wild "rocket" here, and was planning on using it in a pizza until I found these vegan deli slices (below) by my favorite "meat" company at Whole Foods. So, panini it was. The smoked tomato deli slices slightly resemble salami, but are only full of good stuff. (The company also makes sage-lentil deli slices which I haven't tried yet.)

Wild Rocket Panini 

(Makes one sandwich) 

2 slices of (dairy and egg free) whole wheat bread 

earth balance natural buttery spread

original veganaise 

a handful of fresh wild "rocket" (arugula) 

3 slices of field roast's smoked tomato deli slices 

a handful of daiya mozzarella (my favorite vegan cheese)

While your skillet warms to a medium temperature, lightly butter (earth balance) one side of each slice of bread. Place the un-buttered side down in the skillet first to warm but not toast. Turn the slices over so that the buttered side is down, sprinkle the daiya mozzarella cheese on each slice and allow melt. 

Once melted, remove from the skillet and spread a dab of veganaise on each slice. (Veganaise has a very mellow garlic taste so it blends nicely with the other ingredients in the panini, and helps keep the sandwich together.) Add the three slices of smoked tomato deli slices, top with arugula, and voila- you have a (vegan) taste of Italia. It's my new favorite sandwich, especially when it is accompanied by a nice glass of rosso. Buon appetito. XO Theresa

Mango- Acai Smoothie

The best part about smoothies is that they are simple- you can just throw things in the blender and not worry about specific measurements. So, I'm simply going to show you what I throw into one of my favorites. It's full of natural protein, fiber, probiotics, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin- A, vitamin-C, and more. 

Vegan Mango- Acai Smoothie 

1. Amande (Almond) Vanilla Yogurt

I recently discovered this yogurt on the shelves at Whole Foods and was pretty stoked to find a soy-free, protein rich yogurt. I love it. They also have other flavors like blueberry, peach and strawberry. But, the vanilla is my fav. 

2. Slices of banana

4. Slices of frozen mango

5. Frozen Acai Berry

(I also found these at Whole Foods)

Asparagus and Red Onion Wheat Berry Salad

"Wheat berries?," you ask? Allow me to explain... You're looking at whole kernels of wheat, before they are ground up into flour. These hearty little whole grains are full of flavor, protein, fiber, and iron (an A+ in my vegan book) and can replace rice in almost any meal. The little guys are waiting for you in the bulk section at Whole Foods, your local Co-Op, or any other health food store/ market.

The asparagus this spring is amazing and I've been trying to avoid my usual -roasted asparagus, salt, and pepper and be more creative. So, here is my first attempt at being more adventurous with my asparagus. Enjoy!

Asparagus and Red Onion Wheat Berry Salad

You will need:

1 cup of wheat berries

a handfull of asparagus

1/2 of a red onion

3 cups water

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup olive oil

3 tbsp white balsamic

2 tbsp dijon mustard

1 tbsp honey (or agave)

Wheat Berries:

Bring 3 cups of water and 1 tsp of salt to a boil

Pour 1 cup of wheat berries into boiling water, and bring back to a boil

Simmer for 45 minutes/ 1 hour

Drain wheat berries and allow to cool

The Veggies:

Wash and cut asparagus into bite size slices

Slice red onion

In a medium sized skillet, saute onions and asparagus in olive oil until tender

While these are cooking, mix the olive oil, white balsamic, dijon mustard, and honey (or agave) together for the dressing

Mix the veggies in with the wheat berries, drizzle the dressing, mix, and allow to cool. I really liked this salad cold but it would also be delicious warm.

Buon Appetito

Cashew Lime Pesto

I've been experimenting with my pesto, using different kinds of nuts since pine nuts are pricey, and I have decided that cashews are the winner. They create a creamier taste, which is nice since I do not add cheese. Today, I added in two new ingredients to my usual pesto: organic parsley and lime (from the Hanten's garden in Temecula) . Yes, lime. The lime married so well with the other flavors, and added an extra dash of freshness that was perfect for a spring time meal. I may or may not have licked the food processor clean. I am pleased to present to you my new favorite pesto recipe....

Cashew Lime Pesto

(Serves 1)

3/4 cup of organic basil

1/4 cup cashews

1/2 cup garlic olive oil (I used garlic olive oil from the Temecula Olive Oil Company and did not add garlic, if you don't have garlic olive oil I would recommend using regular olive oil and then adding 1 clove of garlic)

a dash of salt

a dash of organic Italian parsley

the juice from half of a good sized lime

Blend all of these ingredients together in your food processor until they form a sauce or paste and spread over something delicious.

Since my latest food obsession has been grilled cherry tomatoes and hearts of palm, I covered both in the rest of the lime juice, grilled, and added them to my cashew- lime-pesto-spaghetti and was pleasantly surprised by this delicious dish.

My most recent foodie adventures...

One of the first things people always say to me after finding out that I'm vegan is... wow, it must be hard to go out to eat. My response- well... it depends on where you go. I think I've proven from my recipe posts that against my brother's beliefs, I do not survive off of rabbit food. When I go out, I refuse to let salads be my only option. Peet's Coffee and Tea has vegan cookies and scones, In-N-Out has their "veggie burger" (with no special sauce and cheese), Thai places almost always have an array of tasty vegan options, Chipotle's got a veggie burrito (or bowl) that can be vegan with black beans (and no cheese or sour cream), the Public House is always serving their (seasonal!) "Public Veg", Mediterranean places have falafel and hummus, and of course there is the Herbivore and Native Foods.... Get my point yet? I like good food, I like my good food to be vegan, and I REALLY like when I can find good vegan food when I'm out and about.

Exhibit A: Vegan mac & cheese, paired with Sterling's Sauvignon Blanc.

Who: Daniel, Nick, Molly, Crystal and me

When: Last weekend

Where: Homeroom, Oakland, CA

Why: Because I've been craving mac and cheese since I've been vegan and nothing has hit the spot like this before. Why wouldn't you want to check out a new restaurant that only serves 9 different kinds of mac & cheese (and of course a great selection of beverages and sweets)?!

Exhibit B: Vegan cinnamon roll with hazelnut frosting, topped with pecans and bananas.

Who: Alexandra, Nick and me

When: Last weekend

Where: Cinnaholic, Berkeley, CA

Why: Because one of my childhood best friends (who is also vegan) lives in Pennsylvania and recommended this place to me... that's saying something. Cinnabun has got nothing on this place. If you're anywhere near Berkeley, you have to taste them for yourself. If you're far away, no excuses- you can order them online here.

Both the vegan mac & cheese and vegan cinnamon roll were dangerously delicious and I will be back for more after a few trips to the gym. Thanks for reading :) - T