Thai Green Curry Soup

I can't rave about this soup enough! If you like Thai coconut curries, you'll definitely want to give this recipe a try. It's nice and light but still filling, and the lime is a great low sodium flavor enhancer. The spice level is quite mild, so I suggest adding chili pepper flakes if you like more heat. Soups are really easily adaptable--use whatever veggies you have on hand if you don't have the ones listed. This recipe is for a BIG pot of soup--I think it would easily feed a family of 4 for a couple meals.

Ingredients:

• 1 package (~14 oz) medium flat rice noodles
• Extra virgin coconut oil
• 2 medium green peppers (or 1 green, 1 red)
• 1 large red onion
• 2 c. diced shiitake mushrooms
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 4 c. chopped broccoli
• 2 c. carrots (cut into coins or matchsticks)
• 1 rounded cup of celery (bite-sized pieces)
• 1½ c. peapods, cut in half
• 5 c. vegetable broth (or water and vegetable bouillon)
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1½ tbsp green curry paste
• 2 stalks of green onion, cut into small pieces
• 1/4 c. chopped cilantro (pack it down slightly)
• 2 blades of lemon grass, cut into small pieces
• 2 tsp finely minced ginger root

Sauce:

• 2 Thai chili peppers, minced
• 1 tbsp sesame oil (I use hot chili sesame oil)
• 3 tsp fish sauce
• 2 tbsp soy sauce or liquid aminos
• 2 tbsp sweet chili sauce
• juice from 1 lime
• 1 tsp sriracha
  
  
• Optional: add meat (I prefer scallops and shrimp) or tofu. Garnish with bean sprouts, chopped peanuts, and cilantro.
  
  

Saute onion, green peppers, mushrooms, and garlic in EVCO (add garlic during last minute or two). Set aside in a large bowl. If you want to add meat or tofu to the soup, saute it now, or cook in in the broth. Bring 7 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Simmer broccoli, carrots, celery, and peapods until slightly al-dente. Drain water into a large stock pot, and set veggies aside with others. Use this large pot to cook the rice noodles. Add veggie broth to stock pot and bring to boil. While waiting, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in the microwave, then add lemongrass and ginger to make a kind of tea. Let tea sit covered for 5 minutes. Add coconut milk, curry paste, green onion, cilantro, and sauce ingredients. Strain lemongrass/ginger and add the tea to soup. Stir in veggies, and salt soup to taste. Dish up rice noodles into individual bowls and pour soup over top. Garnish as desired.

Basic gluten-free vegan chocolate cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup soy milk, or other nut milk
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp rum extract
1/2 cup sorghum flour (or finely milled brown rice flour)
1/2 cup tapioca starch or potato starch
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt.

Chocolate glaze:
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp Earth Balance or other vegan margarine
2 tbsp soy, almond, or coconut milk
2 tbsp cocoa powder
2 tsp vanilla extract

NOW DO IT

Wisk milk and vinegar together in a large mixing bowl, and set aside for 5ish minutes to curdle. Add sugar, oil, vanilla, and rum extract to the milk and vinegar mixture, and beat with an electric mixer until foamy. Combine remaining ingredients in a separate bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients in 2 batches, and beat until the lumps are gone.
Bake in LINED muffin tins, filled 3/4 full. Bake for 18-20 minutes at 350 degrees (or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean).

For glaze: bring sugar, margarine, milk, and cocoa powder to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring slowly to make sure it doesn't scorch. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, add vanilla, and keep stirring for about 5 minutes. Spread glaze quickly (it dries fast) or dip the tops in the glaze. Add any toppings right away. Let cool for 45 minutes. 

Nigerian coconut candy

This coconut candy is great for when you've got a super sweet tooth (the sugar is definitely intense), but still want a candy with a bit of redeeming health value to it. Coconut provides dietary fiber and healthy fats, and supports immune system health. Ginger reduces inflammation and nausea, and combined with the molassesy goodness of turbinado sugar, it makes this candy taste like ginger beer. It's pretty simple to make too.

Ingredients:
2 cups freshly grated coconut (about 1/2 a coconut)
1 tbsp freshly minced ginger

1 cup turbinado sugar

sturdy grater (I like mine finely grated, with some thick grated pieces for variation. A microplane grater or rotary cheese grater works best)

Optional: 1/2 tsp coconut oil, 1 tsp honey

The most time consuming part of making this candy is freeing and grating the coconut. Start by finding the coconut's "eyes"--those three little indentations. Push on them to find the softest eye (often the biggest one). Take a drill bit that's smaller than the eye hole (but big enough to drain the coconut water) and start screwing in into the softest hole, until it breaks through the meat inside. You can also drill through the eye, but make sure you have someone there to hold the coconut stable for you. Drain the coconut water into a glass container for later use, or drink it straight up. (Refrigerate and use within 2 days tops, or freeze in an ice-cube tray. You can use it to replace regular water in cooking/baking/smoothie making, or add a couple tablespoons of raw apple cider vinegar and soak your hair in it or use it as a face astringent. Mmm, coconut brown rice with Thai curry.)
After I drain the coconut water I usually just take the coconut outside and throw it at the ground until it cracks in half, or repeatedly hit it around the meridian against a hard edge. Remove the meat from the coconut by cutting a slit out of it and then prying around the edge with a knife. It'll come out in chunks. Video of the method I use here, and here is another method that uses a freezer/refrigerator. 

Grate the coconut and set aside in a bowl. Then mince the ginger finely and stir it into the coconut. Refrigerate for an hourish until it's nice and cold. After it has chilled, pour the turbinado sugar into a sauce pan on medium heat, shaking it back and fourth in the pan every minute or so. After 3-5 minutes it should start to melt around the edges. Keep shaking the sugar around. more frequently now, so it doesn't burn. As the sugar starts melting into a caramely looking sauce, reduce the heat to low, stir it up so it's all melted, and quickly add the coconut. Mix well so all the coconut is sugar coated. If you want a softer, chewier candy, add the coconut oil and honey. Remove from heat and let sit for about 5 minutes until it's cool enough to work with. Scoop up about 1 tbsp of the mixture and roll into balls (light pressure is key. I also wash my hands if they start getting too sticky). Place on a plate/cookie sheet and put in the fridge to cool and harden. Store in the fridge and serve chilled.

Spicy smothered Cajun collard greens

INGREDIENTS
1 bunch of collard greens, cut in half lengthwise, and then cut in ~1/2 inch strips (tip: stack and roll the halves the hotdog way, then cut strips)
⅔ cup vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
1 large green pepper, diced
2-3 stalks of celery, cut into small slices
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
4 medium tomatoes, diced
½ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tsp hot sauce
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ - ½ tsp black pepper
To taste: cayenne pepper, chili powder, fresh thyme, rosemary, paprika, cumin, dill, and cardamom (I also added portobello mushrooms to the particular batch pictured above.)

NOW DO IT
Saute green pepper, onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil until they start to soften, then add broth, bay leaf, and collard greens. Stir and cover. Cook on medium low heat for about 6 minutes, until greens are slightly soft. Add other ingredients, cover and cook another 6-8 minutes. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Praram Long Song (Thai peanut curry sauce)

This is one of my favorite Thai dishes to cook. It's simple to make, and the sauce is also great for dipping or stir-fry. 

Ingredients:
1 can of coconut milk
~3+ tbsp red curry paste 
1/2 to 1 tsp fish sauce, depending on your taste
1/2 c. natural unsweetened peanut butter
4 tbsp brown sugar and/or agave nectar
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp lime juice
red pepper flakes
Sriracha. Duh.
Green onion
Crushed peanuts
A bunch of baby spinach
Brown rice
A protein, if desired (I usually use pan-fried tofu or scallops. Chicken is mighty tasty too)

Now do it:
Heat coconut milk in a small pot over medium-low heat, stirring to make sure it doesn't stick. Once warm, add curry paste and stir until thoroughly blended. Add peanut butter and other things, pepper/sriracha to taste. Add your protein and let it soak up the sauce for a few. Wilt the spinach just a little bit, and place a bed of it on rice. Cover with this delicious sauce, and top with crushed peanuts and minced green onion.

Spring Slaw

Mmm, so fresh and so tasty. I've heard this kind of dish referred to as an "Asian" slaw/salad, but that's silly and racist. Personally, it makes me think of springtime. Half approximated recipe, half list. Next time I make this I will measure everything and actually write out a proper recipe.

• 1/2 to 1 jicama, grated
• 1/2 a large red cabbage, shredded/chopped into lil bits
• 1/2 large red onion, cut into thin slices
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 3 celery stalks, cut into thin slices
• 2-3 carrots, grated
• 1 cucumber, sliced thin then cut into little sticks
• 1/2 can garbanzo beans (maybe more? I don't remember)
• crushed peanuts (pile em on
• toasted sesame seeds

Dressing:

• Rice wine vinegar
• soy sauce/liquid aminos
• agave nectar and/or brown sugar
• fresh ginger, minced (not too much--it can be overpowering)
• a little peanut butter
• a little Sriracha

GOLDEN BEET AND KALE RAW SALAD

I'll admit it--I spent waaay too much money buying little plastic containers full of this dank salad from Mississippi Market before I decided to just start making it myself. As the co-op staff refused my offer of my firstborn child in exchange for their recipe, I've had to approximate. This is really just a list of ingredients, not actually a recipe. Use your imagination and experiment.

Here We Go:

• Curly leaf kale (the frilly stuff, not the long-leafed stuff)
• Golden Beets (A quick word on this: whenever I make this salad myself, the golden beets turn a really unappealing grey-brown color, almost instantly. Oxidation, or a reaction to the metal cheese grater, perhaps? I would suggest grating and adding the beets right before serving if you're trying to present this dish to others, or using regular red beets instead.)
• Carrots
• Scallions
• Green bell peppers
• Broccoli sprouts

Dressing:

• Tahini
• Olive oil
• apple cider vinegar (the good stuff, with 'the mother')
• soy sauce (I use wheat-free tamari) or liquid aminos
• Garlic, minced
• Fresh oregano & basil, minced

Chop all your veggies. Cut the kale thin, shred beets and carrots (a round cheese grater with a crank works great for this), dice the peppers, and chop the scallions into little rings. Toss all the veggies together in a big bowl. In a separate container, combine the dressing ingredients w/ a wisk (start with tahini and vinegar, add other things when these are blended smoothly). I just add everything to taste and test it as I go along. I like my salad pretty saucy. I use the most tahini, then ACV, olive oil, soy sauce, garlic, herbs.