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Baked Sweet Apple Spicy Eggplant (Vegan, Fat-Free, Gluten-Free)

This is my attempt at improving the Cauliwings– it is a little less harsh when it comes to firey-ness, a little more sweetness to the fire, reminiscent of an Indian chicken dish I used to love, …and oh lord is cooked eggplant the most delicious thing!!

 

ngredients:

• 1 large eggplant

Batter:

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp ground rolled oat flour (or whatever gluten free flour you like)
• 3/4-1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder
• 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika, chili powder/cayenne
• a very generous dash of black pepper

Apple Sriracha Glaze: (Next time I will use my own blend of spices instead of the processed sriracha and tabasco jargin- I recommend you do too!)

• 1/2 cup applesauce
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 of a large apple, chopped well
• 3 Tbs Sriracha sauce or to taste 🙂
• 1 tsp or more hot sauce or to taste (I used tabasco sauce)
• 3/4 cup Orange juice or apple juice (more juice if you like a thinner glaze)
• a generous pinch of garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Chop the eggplant into small 1-1.5 inch pieces.
3. Mix everything under batter in a bowl until smooth and thick enough batter that can coat the pieces well.
4. Mix the eggplant in the batter so each piece is covered and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Any extra, pour on top! Bake for 15 minutes. 

Glaze:

1. In a pan, mix all the ingredients under glaze and heat on medium. Taste and adjust spice, sweet and tang if needed(add oj / jam or lemon juice for extra sweet or tang). You can also use fresh or frozen ripe mango or orange puree + maple/sugar.
2. Once the glaze is hot, add the baked eggplant to it. Toss well to coat carefully and let the glaze come to a boil and thicken. 2-3 minutes. You can use a large pan that can fit all the pieces or do 2 batches.
3. Serve hot as is, with rice/grains or with any creamy cool dips like ranch. Alternatively, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil and pour over the baked eggplant, toss to coat and serve.

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Fat-Free Firey Cauliwings and Creamy Raw Ranch Dressing

This special treat for my family was BOMB. I feel totally confident having my picky manly meat eaters try, and love, these.  They will DEFINITELY put hair on your chest ;).  Vegan. Epic. Satisfying.  They are spicy, but a sweet tang too.  Like orange chicken at the chinese place!  And this raw vegan ranch- creamy and cooling.  I so recommend having this over rice.  If I had tortillas it would have been bomb to make a rice cauliwing ranch burrito!  Next time :).

Firey Cauliwings

Adapted from the amazing Vegan Richa

Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower (mine was small-medium-ish size)

Batter:

• 1 cup water
• 3/4 cup + 2 Tbsp flour (try oat or brown rice flour for gluten free, I used half whole wheat + half white) 
• 3/4-1 tsp salt or to taste
• 1 tsp each of garlic powder, onion powder
• 1/2 tsp each of smoked paprika, chili powder/cayenne
• a very generous dash of black pepper
• 2 tsp oil (optional)

Sweet Sriracha Glaze:

• 1 cup mango jam (I used apricot) or preserves (or use orange marmalade or grape jelly for variations)
• 1/4 cup Sriracha sauce or to taste 🙂
• 1 Tbsp or more hot sauce or to taste (I used tabasco sauce)
• 1/4 cup Orange juice or apple juice (more juice if you like a thinner glaze)
• a generous pinch of garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp ginger powder

Steps:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
2. Chop the cauliflower into 1.5-2 inch pieces.
3. Mix everything under batter in a bowl until smooth and thick enough batter that can coat the cauliflower pieces well.(add more flour if needed). 
4. Dip the cauliflower in the batter so each floret it covered and place on parchment lined baking sheet.  Any extra, pour on top! Bake for 20 minutes. 

 

Glaze:

1. In a pan, mix all the ingredients under glaze and heat on medium. Taste and adjust spice, sweet and tang if needed(add oj / jam or lemon juice for extra sweet or tang). You can also use fresh or frozen ripe mango or orange puree + maple/sugar instead of preserves.
2. Once the glaze is hot, add the baked cauliflower to it. Toss well to coat carefully and let the glaze come to a boil and thicken. 2-3 minutes. You can use a large pan that can fit all the florets or do 2 batches. do not toss/move the florets too much.
3. Serve hot as is, with rice/grains or with any creamy cool dips like ranch. Alternatively, bring the sauce ingredients to a boil and pour over the baked cauliflower, toss to coat and serve.

Variations: Use grape jelly or Orange preserves. Add a 1/4 cup ketchup to the glaze.
Use Barbecue sauce or sweet and sour sauce.
To make buffalo wings, mix in enough hot sauce with melted vegan butter or oil (2:1 ratio) and toss the baked cauliflower in it, bake for a few minutes and serve.

 

Raw Vegan Ranch

Too easy- all you need is a blender, and blend blend blend!

• 1 1/4 cup whole raw cashews
• 3/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• a little less than 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons liquid sweetener of choice (I used maple syrup)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp dried dill
• less than 1 tsp salt

Let it chill in the fridge for a few hours for it to turn super thick and creamy like legit ranch!  I didn’t wait for it to chill in the pics above, it was still runny, but this stuff gets thick and delish!!  Enjoy over your salad, with celery and carrots, or drizzled over your cauliwings! Yumyum!  Gotta love health food 😉

 

 

Lettuce Have Healthcare Tacos!

Arriving home from Purdue, my father left me a wonderful surprise gift!  A DVD of a Naturopathic Medicine course by Dr. Mimi Guarneri!  I am so inspired and excited watching it!

It’s funny how much I already know- like I think it is kind of silly how it is such a breakthrough that they are prescribing yoga and the elimination diet to people to heal!  Haha!  I’ve been interning with Christine Lucas who has been doing that for years!  Finally people are catching on- I can’t waaaaiiiiit to get my ND!!

 

From what I have seen of the DVD so far, they emphasize how health care these days is actually not health care at all- it is sick care!  The system is fantastic at diagnosing and treating issues quickly!  Applause to the sick care system!  But for chronic disease, lifelong issues and truly making people healthy, finding what the cause is and truly 100% curing the issue… not so much… The doctor in the DVD painted a picture:

If you planted a tree and your tree’s leaves started to wilt and turn brown and dry out, what would you do?  You would give it more water and give it plenty of sunlight, right?  Well if your tree were given to an MD in America, the problem leaves/ branches would be chopped off- not truly healing your tree, just a quick fix.

😀 So inspired to continue shining my light!  Go vegetarian diets, fun exercise, relaxation, sleep, sunshine, and love ❤ !  Happiness is in your power to change perception!  Take care of your beautiful body!  And enjoy these simple recipes!

Mango Tomato Corn Tacos:

Serves 1-2, takes 5 minutes prep time

• 2 organic Haitian mangos, diced
• about 1 cup of thinly sliced zuccini
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 2 cups of organic corn
• 1 cup of peas
• 2-3 tomatoes, diced
• 3 heads of romaine lettuce

Measurements are up to you, and you can use any yummy veggies and fruits you like! Maybe chop them different than I did? Whatever!  Just mix em all together and fill your romaine leaves and choww dowwn!

It’s funny how I loveeee salad so much- people think you need to be super disciplined to enjoy your greens.  Not this girl!  That crispy soft romaine! MMMM!!! Too delish!  Plain as it is- crave worthy fo shoo!

I also made Black Bean and Corn Burgers for my family for mother’s day.  They are one of my mom’s favorite vegan recipes, and they were pretty good as an addition to my mango corn tomato tacos!  Give it a go!

They are high carb and almost fat free!  Perf for raw till 4-ers!

• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 T olive oil (optional- could just use a little water to cook the onions)
• 3 cups (or 2 cans) cooked black beans, divided
• 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp salt (I didn’t use any salt)
• black pepper or red pepper flakes, to taste
• 2/3 cups quick oats, plus extra as needed
• 3/4 cups fresh (or frozen and thawed) organic NOT GMO PLEASE corn

1. Sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil for eight to ten minutes, or until golden, soft, and fragrant.
2. Add 2 cups of the beans, the cumin, the paprika, the chili powder, the sea salt, and pepper to taste. Stir in the sauté pan till all is warm.
3. Preheat your oven to 350° F.
4. Add the oats to the bowl of a food processor and pulse them a few times. Add the onion, garlic, and bean mixture. Process everything together, until it’s well combined but still has texture.
5. Transfer mixture to a mixing bowl. Add the last cup of black beans and the corn and mix well with your hands. Check for seasoning and season to taste. If the mixture is too mushy to form into patties, add a little more oats or bread crumbs.
6. Using a 1/3 measuring cup, shape mixture into patties.  I think it made 8? Transfer burgers to a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 35 minutes (or until golden), flipping once through.  No cooking spray or parchment paper needed!  These guys don’t stick!
7. Enjoy with a deep breath and a smile 🙂 ❤ xoxo Dream big, carb up!!