24 Jul 2017
Vegan Recipes
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Quinoa Cauliflower Tabbouleh

Quinoa-Cauliflower-Tabbouleh

I was thrilled that my quinoa cauliflower tabbouleh creation turned out FANTASTIC, so of course I have to share it with you!

I was about to try my hand at making cauliflower tabbouleh when I thought, “What if I combined cauliflower rice with quinoa to create a hybrid recipe for quinoa cauliflower tabbouleh?”

I’m glad I had that thought because this easy vegan recipe I came up with is super refreshing, satisfying, clean, and nutrient-packed. I have officially labeled it as a new “go-to vegan meal” on my list of meals I see myself making on a regular basis.

As much as I love convenience, I decided to make my own cauliflower rice, as opposed to buying it pre-made in the freezer section. From my experience, the frozen cauliflower rice (which may or may not be found in your local mainstream grocery stores) is great for cooking with, but for raw vegan recipes, it just doesn’t come out right.

Most tabbouleh recipes contain red onion. I’m not generally a fan of raw red onion because I feel like no matter what I do, I can taste onion in my mouth for the rest of the day. Red onion does add a nice crunch to dishes though, so I decided to add cucumber to this easy vegan recipe instead. I was pleasantly surprised how well this worked out! I did use garlic and onion powder in my recipe, but not enough to make you un-kissable 😉

I’ll admit, there is a lot of chopping involved in this quinoa cauliflower tabbouleh recipe, so I suggest making a double batch and snacking on it all week. I actually doubled this recipe and ended up eating half of it in just one day! I love making simple vegan meals that are guilt-free like this, knowing it’s doing my body good.

By the way, if you want to make this more of a meal than a side dish, I’m guessing lentils or chickpeas would be a great addition. And for my fellow fitness freaks, although quinoa contains complete vegan protein, adding legumes will up the protein content significantly.

Let me know how you like it!

Quinoa Cauliflower Tabbouleh

Ingredients

  • 1 cup cauliflower rice
  • 1 cup cooked quinoa
  • 1 cup grape or cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 cup cucumber, chopped
  • 1 cup parsley, chopped
  • 1 medium lemon, juiced
  • 6-10 mint leaves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/8-1/4 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt
  • Black pepper to taste

Instructions for Cauliflower Rice

Option 1:

  • Place cauliflower florets in your high speed blender
  • Cover with water
  • Pulse blend until the cauliflower has been chopped into rice-size pieces
  • Strain thoroughly
  • Allow time to dry or use a paper towel to pat dry

Option 2:

  • Use a box grater with the medium-size holes to grate the cauliflower florets into rice-size pieces.Quinoa-Cauliflower-Tabbouleh-Ingredients

Instructions for Tabbouleh

  • Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly… That’s all, you’re done!

Enjoy!

11 May 2017
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
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Gourmet Vegan Pesto Pasta with Cauliflower Meatballs

gourmet vegan recipe-cauliflower-pesto-pasta-

This gourmet vegan pesto pasta with cauliflower meatballs dish is a hit at dinner parties!

Spring is here, and with the season comes the desire for refreshing, light, yet satisfying meals. This vegan recipe fits the bill perfectly! Cauliflower is all the craze at the moment due to it’s versatility, dense composition of nutrients, and low number of calories.  Made with nutrient dense whole food ingredients, this gourmet vegan meal is one you will be proud of!

Bucatini Pasta with a Springtime Asparagus Walnut Pesto Topped with a Spicy Cauliflower Meatball

Ingredients for Pesto/Pasta

  • 1 lb steamed asparagus
  • 4 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1/3 cup walnuts
  • 1 cup fresh basil
  • 1 cup baby spinach
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • zest of 1 lemon
  • pinch red pepper flakes 
  • 1 lb. Bucatini Pasta

Ingredients for Cauliflower “Meatballs”

  • 1/4 head steamed cauliflower chopped and cooled
  • 1 cup cooked and cooled whole wheat couscous
  • 2 tbsp pure pumpkin
  • 3 cloves chopped garlic
  • 1 cup V Breadcrumbs
  • 2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp hot sauce
  • 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
  • salt and pepper to tastegourmet-vegan-pesto-dish-with-cauliflower-meatballs

Directions

  1. Combine all ingredients for pesto in a food processor and put on high setting and allow all ingredients to blend well. Add a little extra oil if pesto is too thick.
  2. For the Cauliflower “Meatballs” combine all ingredients except couscous into a food processor and mix well.
  3. Transfer to a large bowl and fold in couscous.
  4. Adjust seasonings.
  5. Roll into tiny meatballs and heat a non stick pan on low/medium heat coated with oil.
  6. Gently allow meatballs to brown on all sides turning every minute.
  7. Mix pasta with pesto and garnish with crushed walnuts.
  8. Top with a meatball or two and enjoy!

Tips

  • If “meatballs” are too dry add more pumpkin.
  • If mixture is too wet add additional Breadcrumbs.
  • Keep the balls small so they cook through quickly.
06 Jun 2016
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
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Mexican Cauliflower “Rice”

cauliflower-rice

This Mexican “rice” is colorful and delicious without a single “bad” carb! No need for processed grains to be satisfied… all you need is cauliflower!

This healthy vegan recipe is made with raw cauliflower which is rich in fiber and nutrients, but if you want to add a more nutty flavor, try toasting the rice in the oven at 375F or on the stove in a sauté pan with 2 teaspoons of olive oil until golden brown!

Mexican Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

  • Cauliflower Head, shredded 1 head
  • Diced Tomato, canned 1 cup
  • Yellow Onion, brunois 1/2 each
  • Garlic cloves, minced 2 each
  • Cilantro, minced 1/4 cup
  • Jalapeno, brunoise 1 each (Optional)
  • Tomato paste 1 Tbls
  • Lime, juiced 1 each
  • Cumin 1/2 teaspoon
  • Onion Powder 1/2  teaspoon
  • Garlic Powder 1/2 teaspoon
  • Black Pepper ¼ teaspoon or to taste
  • Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Sanitize all work areas, cutting boards,
equipment and sinks used in the preparation of this
recipe.
2. Process raw cauliflower in a food processor, pulsing a few times, until achieving rice consistency. DO NOT OVERPROCESS. Another option is to use a kitchen shredder. Using a cheese cloth, squeeze the water out of the rice. Set aside in a mixing bowl and add cumin, garlic powder and onion powder.
3. Process tomatoes and tomato paste in the food processor until smooth and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a sauté pan, medium high. Sauté the onions until translucent.
4.Reduce heat to medium, add garlic and brunoise jalapenos and cook, stirring constantly until fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes.
5. Stir in tomatoes, cook for a few minutes until reduce by 2/3.
6. Stir in the cauliflower rice and cilantro, squeeze half lime and mix. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!!

-Carolina

21 Mar 2014
Guest Blog Posts, Vegan Recipes
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Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Stew

Easy Vegan Recipe- Cauliflower Stew

I love one-pot meals and I love them even more if they are ready in under 30 minutes!  

This bowl is a quick, easy, warming, flavorful vegan recipe packed full of nutritional benefits.

Chickpeas are one of my favorite sources of protein. One cup gives you approximately 15 grams of protein and they are also high in iron, fiber, and have a  low glycemic index. And  because of their mild flavor they are very versatile and can be used in all sorts of different ways.  Even cookies!  But that’s another post….

Cauliflower is high in Vitamin C and is also has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits and this recipe also contains spinach which is pretty much power packed with everything your body needs.  Let’s get our health on!

Easy Cauliflower Chickpea Stew

IMG_3585

 Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 1 clove garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 inch piece of fresh ginger grated
  • 1 28 ounce can diced tomatoes
  • 1 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 1 head cauliflower cut into small florets
  • 1/2 C raisins
  • 1/2 C vegetable broth
  • 2 C (or more if you like) baby spinach
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Heat oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes.  Add garlic, cumin and ginger and cook for 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, chickpeas, cauliflower, raisins and vegetable broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender, approximately 15-20 minutes.  Add spinach, salt and pepper and cook 1/-2 minutes more until spinach is wilted.

Enjoy!

Kirsten