Herbed Cashew "Cheese"

 

 

I'm not going to lie.  I love cheese, real cheese made from real milk from real cows!  But since I'm not suppose to eat dairy, I have been experimenting with nut "cheese."  This recipe is not only yummy, it's easy!

 

 

Ingredients

 

2 cups raw cashews

2 cloves garlic

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 tablespoon *dried oregano

1 tablespoon *dried basil

Fresh squeezed lemon juice

Water (filtered)

 

*My herbs were fresh and I dried them.

 

Directions

 

Soak cashews in water for 2 hours.  Drain.  Process in food processor.  Add remaining ingredients until the consistency is like ricotta cheese. 

 

Serve with crackers and fresh veggies.

 

Enjoy!



Spinach Rice Stuffed Salmon

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

• 2  salmon fillets, skinned and bones removed
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 cup walnuts, chopped and roasted
• 1/2 cups brown and wild rice, cooked
• ½ cup onion, minced

• 2 garlic cloves, minced (see tips)
• 4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tsp lemon zest
• salt and pepper to taste (see tips)

Instructions

1. Lightly grease skillet or use a non-toxic, non-stick pan
2. Add in onion and cook until translucent
3. Add in garlic, spinach, salt and pepper to cook until spinach starts to wilt
4. Remove from heat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5.  Add cooked rice & zest of lemon

6.  Use the back of a spoon to spread the spinach mixture onto the salmon

7.  Sprinkle Nuts on top.

8.  Fold over salmon & secure with toothpicks

9.  Bake at 375 degrees for 15 – 20 mins

 

 

Vegan Black Bean Brownie Bites

1 cup dates
1 can rinsed black beans
2 1/2 T flax meal plus 6 T water, stir and let sit till gels.
1/2 cup organic cocoa
1 tsp. sea salt
1 T pure vanilla extract
2 tsp baking powder
Agave syrup to sweeten to your taste. 
Vegan chocolate chips on top of each (optional)


Process dates in a food processor. Add black beans to dates and process.  Add gelled flax meal (This is the egg substitute)  Process.  Add the remaining ingredients less the chips and process.
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Bake 350 degrees in mini muffin pans for around 20-25 minutes. I topped each with 1- 3 vegan chocolate chips.

Note:  I used mini cupcake papers because these are very tender and difficult to remove from pan without breaking.

Vegan Date/Fig Bars

 

Dough

2 tbsp. ground flax seed

1/4 cup almond milk

1/2 cup olive oil

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 3/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

Date/Fig Filling

1 lb. dried figs or dates

2/3 cup water

1/4 cup agave nectar

2 tsp. finely grated citrus zest (I used lemon)

 

Instructions

Line an 8 x 8 square metal brownie pan with enough aluminum foil so that it folds over the sides of the pan by about an inch. Spray bottom of covered pan with a little non-stick cooking spray. Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large saucepan combine figs/dates, water, agave nectar and lemon zest. Bring to boil over medium heat, reduce to a simmer and stir occasionally. When figs begin to soften in about 8 to 10 minutes continue to cook but mash figs with a firm spatula or a fork to create a chunky, moist paste.

If mixture starts to look overly dry add two tbsp. of water and stir, dribbling in additional water to mixture if necessary. Remove filling from heat and set aside. Puree in a food processor until desired texture is reached.

In a large mixing bowl combine ground flax seed, almond milk,  oil, coconut sugar and vanilla extract until smooth, mixing for about 1 1/2 minutes. Sift in whole wheat pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir to form a soft dough, gather into a ball with your hands and divide into two sections. Shape each section of dough into a square shape about an inch thick
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Place one half of dough between two large sheets of waxed paper. 

Peel off to top layer of waxed paper and flip dough directly into the prepared baking pan. Remove top layer of waxed paper and press the dough firmly into the pan. Spread entire fig/date filling over the dough, making sure to evenly spread all the way to the edges. Prepare the top crust with the remaining dough the same method as bottom crust, flipping on top of filling and pressing dough evenly and all the way to the edges.

Bake for 20 to 22 minutes until crust is golden and puffed. Remove from oven and place pan on wire rack to cool. When completely cool remove bars from pan by grabbing the edges of the foil and lift everything out of pan and flip over onto cutting board. Peel off foil and slice into 12 bars. Store in a tightly covered container.