Long Weekend Getaway
16 Aug 2009 1 Comment
in New York Highlights Tags: comfort food, travel, vegan, vegetarian
My husband and I just had the best super long weekend out on Long Island! Ahh relaxation, good food and even better times! We spent time walking around several of the towns, going to a vineyard and wine tasting, picking berries and peaches from local farms, eating great food and of course some relaxing time swimming and reading.
Annie's Organic Cafe & Market
There is a really cute place in Southampton called Annie’s Organic Cafe & Market. It is the kind of cafe that you order at the bar and they bring you your food. I was really happy there; we ended up visiting twice. The menu was pretty limited but we found some really yummy choices. There is food for vegans, vegetarians and meat eaters alike. For lunch, Michael and I both loved the BBQ seitan with caramelized onions served on a organic sourdough roll. It was really filling and quite the treat. They also have a great juice selection, so of course we went for our good old stand-by Green Juice 
There is a little backyard patio that was an enjoyable place to eat our meal. I love eating outside!
The market was small but had some really great products! It was so nice and refreshing to find a place carrying organic produce and products to stock up on.
If you are in the area Annie’s is definitely worth checking out.
56 Nugent St Southampton, NY 11968 (631) 377-3612 www.anniesorganiccafe.com/
East Hampton Point Restaurant
One night we had dinner at the East Hampton Point which was mostly about the view. The food was good but we spent most of our time gazing out at the water and the sunset. I would definitely recommend this place for a romantic meal. There is a bar area, a more casual restaurant as well as a more formal side. They are right next to each other, and as far as I could tell only the menus differ. We ate at the “formal” side, although it still had a casual feel that we enjoyed.
295 Three Mile Hbr Hc Rd East Hampton, NY 11937 (631) 329-2800 http://easthamptonpoint.com/
We went to one of the most enjoyable vineyards ever on our trip, Sherwood House Vineyards. The outdoor tasting room is set in the middle of the gorgeous vineyard. Everything is so relaxed and the wines (especially the whites) were good. I actually loved the whites so much our wonderful server gave me two other ones to try on top of our tasting! So much fun! We were able to hang out for a while drinking wine in the gorgeous vineyard in the sun. Not a bad way to pass an afternoon Loved it!! Everyone was super friendly and happy to be there.
I would really recommend taking a trip out there. There are also many other vineyards super close by, so make a day out of it!
2600 Oregon Road Mattituck, NY 11952 (631) 298-1396 http://sherwoodhousevineyards.com/
We were also lucky enough to pick beautiful summer fruit on 2 days of our trip. The first stop was Hank’s Farmstand in Southampton. We picked delicious blackberries and my favorite, raspberries! I was in total heaven munching on them – they were so good!! There is also something so special about being able to pick them yourself and having them so fresh! Deeelish!
324 County Rd 39 Southampton, NY 11968 (631) 726-4667 hankspumpkintown.com
The next day we went to Wickhams Fruit Farm. You can pick blueberries, blackberries and peaches. We picked a big bag of luscious, juicy peaches! mmmm!! So fun!
28700 Route 25, Cutchogue, NY 11935 (631) 734-644 http://www.wickhamsfruitfarm.com/We had so many delicious peaches that I decided to make a yummy Raw Peach Cobbler. Check it out in my post tomorrow
Raw Food Dinner Party part 3
12 Aug 2009 4 Comments
in Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: agave, Cashews, chocolate, cocoa, coconut oil, comfort food, dessert, entertaining, maple syrup, quick and easy, raw, snack, tahini, vegan, vegetarian
Ahhh Dessert!! Even when I am so full I can always manage a bite or two! These were super yummy and plus this recipe gave us leftovers, which we love! The chocolate sauce could have been thicker to coat better, but I don’t think anyone would complain, it was deelish!
Raw Chocolate Candy Bars
Recipe By Ashley Skabar, About.com Guide to Dairy Free Cooking Makes about 8-12 bars
Base
4 1/2 cups raw cashews, finely ground
6 T. agave nectar or maple syrup
1 T. cold water
1/4 t. sea salt
Caramel
3/4 cup raw tahini
3/4 cup maple syrup or agave nectar
1/8 t. sea salt
Chocolate Topping
1 1/4 cup cocoa powder
1 1/4 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup coconut oil or cold-pressed oil
1/4 cup cold water
1/8 t. salt
1. Line an 8″ x 8″ pan with parchment paper. In a bowl, combine the finely ground cashews, agave or maple syrup, cold water and salt, stirring until the mixture is very thick and just holds together. Press the mixture into the prepared pan and place the pan in the freezer for at least 1 hour.
2. Make the “caramel.” In a small bowl, combine the tahini, syrup and salt, mixing until smooth. Spread the “caramel” over the cashew mixture and return the pan to the freezer for 1 hour more.
3. Make the chocolate topping. In a small bowl, mix together the cocoa powder, syrup, oil, water and salt until smooth.
4. Line a plate or casserole dish with parchment paper. Remove the pan from the freezer, and, using a sharp knife, cut the mixture into bars. Dip each of the bars into the chocolate mixture, then place on the prepared plate or casserole dish. Pour any excess chocolate sauce over the bars, then return the plate or dish to the freezer for 1-2 hours more or until set. Serve from the freezer, and enjoy!
My note: I did not feel that the chocolate was thick enough, so next time I may leave out the water. I ended up basting the bars in order to keep coating them with the chocolate.
So that wraps up my Raw Food Dinner Party fun. It was such a blast! I cannot wait to do it again!!
Raw Food Dinner Party part 2
11 Aug 2009 3 Comments
in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: Cashews, comfort food, entertaining, flax, green, miso, nutritional yeast, quick and easy, raw, Russel James, salad, sides, vegan, vegetarian
We were already a little full from the delicious Cornbread Bruschetta with White Truffle “Sour Cream” and Spiced Tomatoes appetizer but of course I was excited to serve such a fun entree! Spinach and Wild Mushroom Quiche is such a great dish, but be advised it requires a lot of advance prep time I also wish I had more of the tart base dough while I was making them, so that they would have come out thicker, but I was still very happy with these and they were great! The Raw Chef Russel James makes the most gorgeous raw food items, I was so excited to finally try one of his recipes. This recipe will require you to make the bases ahead of time so make sure to plan with enough time.
Fresh summer corn is one of my favorite things! I love the fresh sweet taste and pairing it with avocado and red onion is beyond delightful. I have made a variation on this many times and every time my husband and I love it so much. This was a fun dish to share with our friends as well. It is really quick and easy to prepare and then even easier to enjoy!
Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiche served with Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad
Spinach & Wild Mushroom Quiche
Recipe from The Raw Chef Russel James
Makes 4, 11cm quiche
For the base
1c cashew
1/4c macadamia nuts
2T flax meal (ground flax seed)
1 clove crushed garlic
1T nutritional yeast
2t olive oil
1/4t salt
3T water
1T lemon juice
• Grind all ingredients in a food processor until thoroughly mixed, leaving some texture to the nuts.
• Press into plastic film lined individual tart cases *so you have a thin crust. You will find that regularly dipping your fingers in a bowl of water helps with this.
• Place bases onto a mesh dehydrator sheet and dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 2 hours. They should now be firm enough to remove from the tart cases so you can continue to dehydrate them for a further 6 hours.
*Tart cases should be approx 11cm wide and no than about 1cm high, to allow the mixture (details to follow) to dehydrate inside.
For the filling
2c wild mushrooms (or substitute for any type of available mushroom)
1/2t salt
1T lemon juice
• Wash and roughly chop the mushrooms, then marinate them in the salt and lemon juice and set aside.
2c zucchini
1/4c water
1 1/2c cashews
1/4c white miso
2t lemon juice
1/2 medium white onion
3T nutritional yeast
1/2t salt
• Blend all ingredients in a high-powered blender until smooth.
2c tightly-packed spinach
2T olive oil
1/4t salt
• Pulse spinach, olive oil and salt in a food processor for 10 to 20 seconds until broken down.
• Drain the mushrooms from earlier and transfer them to a large bowl, along with the blended courgette (zucchini) mixture, and spinach. Then also mix in the following ingredients:
1/4c finely sliced spring onions
1c diced tomatoes
1T minced basil
• Once thoroughly mixed, pour this mixture into the bases. You’ll need to slightly overfill the bases as the filling will reduce slightly in the dehydrator.
• Dehydrate overnight and during the day, for anything up to 24 hours.
• Remove from the dehydrator and decorate with slices of tomato and fresh basil sprigs. It’s also a good idea to brush the top of the quiche with a small amount of olive oil, to make them more appealing in their appearance.
Fresh Corn and Avocado Salad
4 ears of fresh corn, husked and cut from cob
3/4 cup red onion, diced
1 1/2 avocados, diced
Juice of 1 lime
2 tablespoons of minced fresh basil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Enjoy the fresh taste of summer!
Raw Food Dinner Party part 1
10 Aug 2009 3 Comments
in Raw Vegan Recipes, Superfoods, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: agave, Cashews, comfort food, entertaining, flax, h'orderves, Matthew Kenney, Nama Shoyu, nutritional yeast, pate, raw, sides, snack, truffle oil, vegan, vegetarian
I have always loved cooking food and giving to others. It is definitely one of my favorite things to do. But I have not had the chance to have a full blown Raw Dinner Party till now. I am so happy that we were able to this. There is not much better than good company and good food!
Here is our appetizer, which could easily be a meal on its own. It was amazing! While I was making the “sour cream” I had to make sure to put it in the fridge so that I didn’t eat it all before our friends came over! If you love truffles or bruschetta at all, you will go mad for this dish!
If you want a sneak peek for the upcoming recipes check out my menu in the picture below
Cornbread Bruschetta with White Truffle “Sour Cream” and Spiced Tomatoes
Cornbread Bruschetta with White Truffle “Sour Cream” and Spiced Tomatoes
Recipe from Entertaining in the Raw by Matthew Kenney
Serves 4-6
Bruschetta
1 cup flax meal
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 cups fresh corn kernels
1 1/3 cups walnuts, soaked 8-10 hours
1 tablespoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
2 tablespoon raw agave nectar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced jalapeno
1 teaspoon ancho chile powder
“Sour Cream”
1 cup cashews, soaked 1-2hours
1/2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons white truffle oil
Tomato
1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon chopped chipotle peppers, soaked 1 hour
salt and pepper to taste
3 tablespoons julienned basil
Assembly
1/4 cup basil leaves
fresh black pepper
Bruschetta
Place flax meal in a medium-sized bowl; set aside. Process remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Add the bowl with flax meal and stir until well combined. Spread on Teflex sheets in desired shape to 1/2inch thickness. Dehydrate at 115 degrees F for 24-36 hours until almost completely dry but still a bit pliable
“Sour Cream”
Blend all the ingredients in a Vita-Mix until completely smooth. Refrigerate until firm.
Tomato
Toss all ingredients together and season to taste
Assembly
Spread a think layer of “sour cream” on each piece of bruschetta and top with a generous amount of tomatoes. Garnish with basil and black pepper.
my notes:
For the “Sour Cream” I used black truffle oil instead of white, but if you saw my note above, you would know that I am sure it does not matter. It was absurdly deelish!
For the Tomatoes, I did not use cilantro and I am not a fan and I did not use the peppers. Instead of the cilantro I used more basil. Instead of the peppers, I substituted jalapeno peppers and some chili powder.
Cucumber-White Grape Gazpacho
10 Aug 2009 1 Comment
in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: green, Matthew Kenny, quick and easy, raw, sides, soup, vegan, vegetarian
Cucumber-White Grape Gazpacho
Recipe by Matthew Kenny from Everyday Raw
serves 2
This is a really great summer soup. Simple, fast and so refreshing! It is lighter and fresher than a traditional tomato based gazpacho, plus it is always fun to mix things up. As I have said before, I love raw soups and how simple they are. This involves dicing and blending and that is it! I love having some of the mixture whole since it adds such a nice texture to this soup.
I love tomatillos with their texture and surprising flavor! They are so gorgeous! If you have never cooked with tomatillos before, they are a treat! They have a papery husk that you peel off and they look similar to green tomatoes. But the taste is the surprising part as they are tart and almost citrus-like.
Cucumber-White Grape Gazpacho
2 cups peeled, seeded, and diced cucumbers
2 cups seeded and diced tomatillos
2 cups diced white grapes
1/4 cup ginger juice
salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
Dice all the ingredients. Set aside 1/4 of the diced mixture and blend the rest. Pour the blended mixture over the rest and Enjoy!
Raw Teriyaki Almonds
06 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: almonds, comfort food, dates, figs, maple syrup, Nama Shoyu, raw, snack, vegan, vegetarian
Raw Teriyaki Almonds
I love all the snacks from Gone Nuts! and from Living Nutz! But as many of you probably know buying raw snacks can really add up in cost! Plus I always like to experiment or am just happy to make things on my own. I am sure I will buy from them again but here is my take on Teriyaki Almonds. I was just eyeing the amount of each ingredient I used, so below are all just estimates. These came out so yummy and gooey with the crunch of nuts inside! Deeelish!
- 2 cups Almonds
- 6 Dried Figs
- 8 Dried Dates
- 1/4 cup Nama Shoyu
- 1/4 cup Maple Syrup
- 2 cloves of fresh Garlic
- couple of dashes of Cayenne Pepper
- Start off by soaking the almonds for 8+ hours. Rinse and set aside.
- Blend all the ingredients (besides the almonds) together.
- Pour over and combine well with the almonds and allow to marinate for 1 hour – several days. (I only marinated for a few hours)
- Then dehydrate at 115 degrees till desired texture. For me this was around 60 hours.
New NYC Juice Bar!
06 Aug 2009 2 Comments
in New York Highlights Tags: juice
I love Juice Bars of course! We could always use more Check this new one out!
Simple Raw Juice Bar
203 Mott St., b/t Spring & Kenmare Sts. (212-625-2081)
http://simplejuicebar.com/
Mon.-Sat., 8 a.m.-8 p.m.; Sun., noon-6 p.m.
Herb-Grilled Chicken Breasts, Thai Style with Bok Choi Stir-Fry
05 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in Home Cooking, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: asian, chicken, green, sides, Stir-fry, tamari, vegetarian
This may not be the prettiest dish but it smelled super great and Michael really enjoyed the flavors! I would suggest slicing the chicken afterwards to make a prettier presentation. The bok choi cooks quick so put it on right after you get the chicken on the grill. You could also substitute the bok choi with other Asian greens to compliment the flavors of the chicken or to eat on their own as a vegetarian dish. I love bok choi, especially in the summer when they are so strong and a beautiful green!
Herb-Grilled Chicken Breasts, Thai Style
Recipe adapted from July 1998 Bon Appétit
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh basil
- 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
- 1/3 cup finely chopped cilantro
- 3 tablespoons finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 1/2 tablespoons tamari
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons (packed) dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha or 1 hot chili chopped
- 6 skinless boneless chicken breast halves (about 2 1/2 pounds total)
- Combine first 10 ingredients in processor. Process until well blended, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally.
- Arrange chicken in 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass dish. Spoon herb mixture over chicken, covering completely. Cover dish; chill at least 2 hours, turning chicken occasionally.
- Set grill to medium-high heat. Grill chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Transfer to plates and serve.
Bok Choi Stir-Fry
- 1 medium bunch of bok choi
- 3 tablespoons peanut or sesame oil
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon Sriracha or 1 hot chili chopped
- Clean and wash the bok choi carefully. (There tends to be dirt caught under the leaves)
- Cut into 3 inch pieces
- Heat the oil in a wok or large pot and add the garlic, salt and Sriracha and stir for about 1 minute
- Add the greens and stir until the greens go limp but the stems are still crunchy about 4 minutes.
- Add salt to taste
Almond Butter Cups
04 Aug 2009 2 Comments
in Raw Desserts and Treats, Raw Vegan Recipes, Vegan Recipes, Vegetarian Recipes Tags: agave, almond butter, cacao, chocolate, coconut oil, comfort food, cookies, dessert, entertaining, quick and easy, raw, snack, vegan, vegetarian
Almond Butter Cups
Recipe from Everyday Raw by Matthew Kenney
yields about 1 1/2 quarts
This recipe make many delicious, decadent, chocolaty squares. So if you do not want leftovers or do not have a crowd to feed I would suggest you half this. But I like leftovers So I am happy with having delicious little bites in the freezer. The great thing about these is that they are so satisfying you don’t need too many.
1 cup almond butter
1 1/2 cup agave, divided
2 cups coconut oil, divided
1/2 tablespoon sea salt
1 cup cacao nibs
- Mix almond butter, 1/2 cup agave, 1/2 cup coconut oil, and sea salt in medium bowl; keep in warm place until ready to use.
- Blend cacao nibs, remaining 1 cup agave, and remaining 1-1/2 cups coconut oil in the Vita-mix until smooth.
- Spread half of this cacao mixture on parchment-lined half sheet pan to create a thin layer. Place in freezer for 15 minutes to firm.
- Spread the almond butter mixture over hardened cacao layer. Then spread remainder of cacao mixture over almond butter; place in freezer until firm.
- Turn out pan onto cutting board, peel off parchment paper, and cut into small pieces. ENJOY
- Store extra almond butter cups in containers in refrigerator.
TapIt
04 Aug 2009 Leave a Comment
in In the News, New York Highlights Tags: green
TapIt is a new service that allows you to refill your water bottle free of charge at participating NYC restaurants and cafés.
