Peach Fried Rice

When you are looking for a new apartment, there are a lot of things to consider: the price, size, neighborhood, amenities, access to public transportation, etc.  But for me?  It's all about the kitchen. Obviously.

Is there a dishwasher?  What kind of storage are we talking about here?  Will I have space for fermenting kimchi?  Is the apartment close enough that I can walk to a farmers market or a food co-op?  And don't even get me started on access to natural light for photographing food.  That's a whole other post.

I'm pretty resourceful when it comes to space.  For the last two years I've been living in a 460 square-foot apartment with my partner and two cats.  That's a huge feat right there.  But we've definitely outgrown the space and now it's time to move on to something a bit bigger.  But I sure will miss my kitchen...

Peach fried rice is the perfect way to say goodbye.  Whether it's goodbye to a visiting relative, the end of peach season, or goodbye to your adorable little kitchen, I think this dish will leave a lasting impression.

I recommend making the rice ahead of time so it has a chance to cool in the fridge. (Cooling it first will give it the best texture in the fried rice.)  I also recommend soaking the rice in water for a few hours or overnight to help increase its digestibility and the ability of your body to absorb all of the nutrients from the rice.  If you're in a time crunch, you can skip this step or you can substitute a quick-cooking grain like quinoa.  This recipe is very adaptable so feel free to substitute any veggies of your choosing.

Peach Fried Rice
Serves 4

1 cup brown rice, soaked overnight
2 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 block organic extra-firm tofu, drained and diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 zucchini, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 peach, pitted and diced
2 tablespoons Bragg liquid aminos
1/4 cup fresh basil chiffonade
sea salt and pepper to taste

Soak rice in water for a few hours or overnight (this will help to increase its digestibility).  Drain.  Add rice to a medium pot with a tight-fitting lid.  Add 2 cups of water.  Cover and let simmer for about 30 minutes.  Check the rice.  If the rice is slightly chewy, remove the lid and cook until the rest of the water is evaporated. If the rice is still hard, replace lid and continue to cook for about 15 minutes, until rice is chewy. When rice is ready, remove from heat.  Allow to cool in the refrigerator until using.  

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to a pan over medium heat.  Add the tofu and saute 5 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tofu is evenly browned.  

In a separate pan over medium heat, add the remaining tablespoon of oil.  Add onions, zucchini, and carrots and saute for 5 minutes, then add the garlic and saute 1 - 2 additional minutes, until fragrant.  Add the peach, cooled rice, and liquid aminos and saute for 5 - 10 minutes, until veggies are crisp-tender.  Add the fresh basil just before serving and season with salt and pepper as desired.

Pasta with Lentils and Zucchini

Have you heard the hype that bananas are soon-to-be no longer vegan?  There are reports of a new spray-on chemical derived from shrimp and crab shells to extend the life of the fruit.  It's pretty scary to me that companies are allowed to spray our food with whatever they choose and not label it - especially when you consider the millions of people with shellfish allergies.

The funny thing though is that bananas have been non-vegan in our household for quite some time. Remember my cat that likes to lick plastic bags?  Well I used to buy bananas from Costco (which come in plastic bags), and my cat, being the creep that he is, enjoyed licking the bags so much that after I removed the bananas from the bag, he became obsessed with licking bananas.  Now whenever bananas enter our house - bag or no bag - he has to lick them.  And since that kitty tongue has seen quite a bit of seafood is its time, if you have a seafood allergy, I wouldn't recommend eating bananas at my house either.

What does all this have to do with pasta, lentils, and zucchini?  Nothing.  Just be thankful none of these items were sprayed with chemicals or licked by a cat.

This has become my favorite go-to weeknight meal.  It's perfect for when you aren't feeling creative and just want something quick, but it's delicious and pretty enough to fool any dinner guest.  My favorite pasta of choice is always brown rice pasta, but whole wheat, quinoa, or corn pasta all work great.

Pasta with Lentils and Zucchini
Serves 4 - 6

1 cup french lentils
2 cups water
4 medium zucchini, diced
1 small yellow onion (or half a medium onion), diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon coconut oil (or another oil for high-heat)
1 pound pasta (whole wheat, quinoa, brown rice, etc)
Juice from 1 lemon
Extra virgin olive oil
Freshly-ground black pepper and sea salt to taste

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  

Add lentils and water to a medium pot.  Bring to a boil and then lower to a simmer and let cook until lentils are tender and liquid is evaporated, about 30 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, toss zucchini with onions, garlic, and oil and lay flat in a single layer on sheet pan.  Roast for 15 minutes, turning at least once, until zucchini is tender and golden brown. Remove from oven and set aside.

While lentils and zucchini is cooking, boil water for pasta and cook according to directions. Toss lentils, zucchini, and pasta together with lemon juice.  Drizzle with olive oil and top with black pepper and salt to taste.  Serve warm.

Raw Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna

I have this weird habit when I eat where I pick through my food and eat the things I dislike first.  A couple of months ago I came up with a theory about this.  I think the way that I eat is similar to the way I live my life: I always put work before pleasure.

Although this has served me well and gotten me to where I am today, this way of life has more flaws than benefits.  When you eat the things you dislike first, you become full by the time you get to the stuff you enjoy.  Same with life.  If you spend all your time putting work before everything else, you have very little time and room in your life to do the things that bring you the most joy.  In a lot of ways I think that kids may have it right... maybe dessert before dinner makes total sense.

For the past couple of months I've been making it a priority to schedule in time for rest, breaks, and things I find pleasurable.  And then today I noticed something new.  I didn't dismantle this lasagna and eat the zucchini first (which I would have done in the past).  Instead, I ate it together.  I think this might be a sign of more-balanced living and good things to come.

If you are wondering what the heck to do with your abundance of summer zucchini, this lasagna is the answer.  This recipe is simple, doesn't require a stove (thank goodness!), and uses the best of summer's bounty: squash, tomatoes, and basil.  I also love this raw nut "cheese" and it adds the perfect bit of fat and flavor to complement these beautiful tomatoes.




Once you have your ingredients, we start with the layers...

Tomatoes.

Basil.

And tomatoes.

I happened to have cherry tomatoes on hand, but you could definitely use large heirloom tomato slices instead. This recipe is very flexible and you can easily substitute other fillings if desired.  If you don't want to use the raw almond cheese, raw pesto also adds a fabulous flavor to this lasagna.

Raw Zucchini and Tomato Lasagna
Serves 2

1 zucchini
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons fresh basil chiffonade
Raw almond cheese (see recipe below)
freshly-ground pepper

Chop ends off of zucchini and cut zucchini in half.  Use a mandolin or very sharp knife to slice zucchini into thin slices.  Lay two slices side-by-side and then top with fillings, layering between more zucchini slices. Garnish with pepper and serve.

Raw Almond "Cheese"
1/3 cup raw almonds
1/8 teaspoon sea salt (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 - 3 tablespoons water, or more as needed
1 tablespoon fresh chives, chopped

Soak almonds in water for at least 1 hour, then drain. Add almonds to a food processor with salt, nutritional yeast, and 1 tablespoon of water to start.  Scrape down the sides of the processor and add more water as necessary until it reaches a consistency similar to ricotta.  Add the chives at the last second and pulse until incorporated.

Recipe submitted to Wellness Weekend

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

You can tell a lot about what's going on in my life by what's on my library queue.  I have this weird habit of getting fascinated by one particular subject and then reading everything I can about it until I get bored and find my next interest.  This year alone I've been through a gardening phase, a running phase, a preserving food phase, a cycling phase, a twitter phase (yes, there are books on it!), a vegan nutrition phase, and a writing phase. My newest phase?  Raw food.

With the weather warming up and longer days approaching, my body has been craving more cooling and fresh foods like salads, raw veggies, and raw soups.  The only problem with a lot of raw food recipes that I've seen is that they tend to be a tad labor-intensive and nut-based.  I really enjoy using nuts in recipes, but I wanted a recipe that was a bit on the lighter-side.

This week I set out to create an easy raw entree that is fresh, delicious, and can be prepared quickly.  I ended up with a hearty zucchini pasta dish covered with a light, creamy tomato sauce.  The best part?  This meal can be prepared in under 5 minutes!

We'll start by spiralizing some zucchini to make our zucchini noodles.  To do this, you will need a vegetable slicer that can cut food into spirals. (I use this one by World Cuisine.)  If you don't have a vegetable slicer then you can use a food processor to cut your zucchini into matchsticks for a "penne" pasta.

Then we blend our sauce.  Throw your tomatoes, tahini sauce, garlic, herbs, and salt into a blender.  In under 30 seconds your creamy, flavorful sauce is ready!

I love topping this pasta with fresh cherry tomatoes and extra fresh pepper.  This recipe serves 1, but it can easily be doubled or tripled as needed to serve more.  This pasta is perfect for lunch, a light dinner, or any time that you crave a fresh, delicious meal without having to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Raw Zucchini Pasta with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Serves 1

2 medium zucchini

2 medium roma tomatoes

1 medium garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon tahini

1.5 teaspoon dried basil

.5 teaspoon oregano

Freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

Process zucchini into spirals or matchsticks.  Set aside. 

Add tomatoes, garlic, tahini, basil, oregano, and salt to blender. Blend until smooth.

Top zucchini with sauce and serve. 

Raw Zucchini "Sushi" Rolls

I'm going to share a secret with you.  I really love veggie sushi.  Like, really.  If I could eat tofu and avocado rolls morning, noon, and night I probably would... but I don't out of fear of growing tired of sushi... because, then what?

I've been making sushi rolls at home for some time now, but this week I started thinking about a raw version that doesn't involve nori.  This raw "sushi" is a fun deviation that uses zucchini instead of nori strips.  Since zucchini is in season and I've had enough zucchini muffins to last me all summer, it was time to find a new way to enjoy it.  

When you're making traditional sushi rolls, you'll use a large strip of nori, roll up your ingredients, and then cut the roll into your individual sushi pieces.  The fun part of using zucchini is that it makes individual rolls and is much easier to handle, especially if you're new to sushi-making.  Soaked and blended cashew are the perfect substitute for rice and you can use any fresh veggies and herbs of your choice in the rolls.  Serve with Nama Shoyu or your favorite dipping sauce.

Raw Zucchini Sushi Rolls
4 servings

1/2 cup cashews, soaked overnight
1 Tablespoon rice vinegar
3 - 4 zucchini (each yields 6 - 8 slices)
2 carrots, sliced into matchsticks
1 cucumber, seeds removed and sliced into matchsticks
4 medium radishes, sliced
1 avocado, peeled and sliced
1 small bunch cilantro

Drain cashews and put into food processor with rice vinegar.  (Depending on how long cashews were soaked you might need to add a tablespoon of water to get the right consistency.)  Process, scraping sides with spatula if necessary, until cashews are a soft paste but still have some texture.

Chop the ends off of your zucchini and use a vegetable peeler to peel your zucchini into long thin strips. Lay zucchini strip flat and add a small spoonful of cashew mixture onto one of the ends of zucchini.  Add a few matchsticks of veggies, avocado, and a couple of pieces of cilantro.  Roll up and enjoy!

Zucchini & Ginger Spelt Muffins

Usually about this time of year I try to eat more raw foods like zucchini pasta with carrot-cashew creme sauce, fresh vegetable juices, and caramel and fudge brownies (my favorite!).  But, this weird foggy, drizzly Seattle weather is confusing my senses.  Could this really be July? Or is it somehow already late September?  All I know is that instead of wanting raw foods and light summer lunches I've been craving sweet potatoes, curries, and greens. 

So then, what to do with all these zucchini if I'm not making raw pasta?  Make muffins, of course!

I tend to shy away from baked goods because they're usually loaded with fat and sugar, but these are definitely some of the heathiest and heartiest muffins I've seen.  I love the taste of the spelt flour and it goes together perfectly with the flavors of ginger and zucchini.  I even cut the amount of agave in half for my last batch and they were still super yummy!  These go perfect with a cup of peppermint tea at breakfast or with soup for lunch.  

Zucchini & Ginger Spelt Muffins

From Babycakes by Erin McKenna

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups spelt flour

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

1/2 cup coconut oil

3/4 cup agave syrup

3/4 cup rice milk

1 Tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups zucchini, shredded

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line muffin tin with liners.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, flax seeds, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.  Add the ginger, oil, agave, rice milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients and stir until smooth.  Fold in the zucchini.  Fill the cups evenly with 1/3 cup of batter and bake on the center rack for 22 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 15 minutes.  

To test the muffins, insert a toothpick into the center.  The muffins are ready when the toothpick comes out clean.  Let stand 15 minutes then transfer and cool.  Store the muffins in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.