Ginger Broth

I made a simple ginger stock tonight and made a tray of raw sliced veggies to add to it. It was delicious and the kids ate theirs over rice. I love the way this broth makes my house smell!

Ginger Broth

2 T. ginger (more if you like it really ginger-y)
1.5 T. garlic
oil to sauté
2 T. cornstarch
1 c. cold water
7 c. water
3 T. veggie bouillon

Sauté the ginger and garlic until soft and starting to brown. Mix cornstarch and cold water. Add water and bouillon to cornstarch mixture, then add to garlic/ginger. Bring to a boil and serve with diced raw veggies. I recommend several of these: carrots, spinach, mushrooms, zucchini, green onion, snap or snow peas, bamboo, tofu

Vegan Chocolate Cake with a Vegan "Buttercream" Frosting

I took this cake to a Fourth of July party last night and have been asked for the recipe. So since I am not great at measuring or remembering exactly what I did, I am quickly posting while it is still *mostly* in my head! Hope it works for everyone as well as it worked for me. I only had a small piece left, so not the best picture ever...

3 cups flour (I used a mix of whole wheat pastry and rice)
3/4 cups cocoa powder
2 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup applesauce
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons vinegar (I used cider)
1 cup water
1 cup milk (I used a mix of coconut and whole grain milks)

~ Oil, flour and line two round cake pans or one 13 X 9. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
~ Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add the sugar and stir.
~ In a mixing bowl mix oil, applesauce, vanilla, vinegar, water and milk.
~ Add dry mixture to wet mixture in several parts and mix until smooth.
~ Bake for 30 t0 40 minutes. Cake is done when a toothpick comes out clean.


Elias asked for a sweet frosting like on a normal cake. I am a huge fan of cream cheese/whip cream frostings and don't care for buttercreams, but he prevailed. I think the frosting was too sweet, and would cut back on sugar next time. I did spread it thin and topped it with unsweetened coconut. I didn't want to distract from the coconut I put on top and didn't add a larger amount of lemon juice as I normally would have. So here is an estimate on what I did do....

1/2 cup vegan margarine
1/2 cup vegan shortening
~ 3 cups powdered sugar (I have no clue how much I just dump in until I get the right consistency)
1 - 2 Tablespoons of milk (I used coconut)
a teaspoon of vanilla
a dash of lemon juice

~ Beat the margarine and shortening until creamy.
~ Add powdered sugar until you have the consistency you like taking turns with a bit of milk, vanilla and lemon juice.

I topped this with coconut, but you could add any flavor you wanted including cocoa powder and top with nuts, seeds, fruit etc.

Energy Balls

We make these as a good snack for those sweet tooth kind of days. They seem to go on lots of camping trips and travel well (you do need to keep them cool). Adaptable!

1/2 cup of a nut butter (we use almond mostly)
1/4 cup of molasses (I skimp here)
1/4 cup of honey (I skimp here too)
1 cup of almond meal or other dry item like milk powder, protein powders, ground flax
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup of dried fruit, nuts, coconut, seeds of your choice
more almond meal, sesame seeds, coconut, finely chopped nuts to coat

Stir together nut butter, molasses, honey, almond meal and vanilla. After it is well mixed stir in dried fruit/nuts. Roll into balls of whatever snack size you want. Coat with the meal/seeds to keep from sticking together. Keep in refrigerator and enjoy!

Zucchini Sandwich Filling

Elias has shown himself to be dairy intolerant and we are all cutting out quite a bit of it in order to make his life easier. One of his favorite lunches is a sandwich, usually avocado cheese. Today we did a bit of experimenting and made a zucchini filling that he (and the rest of us) really enjoyed. I used to make something like this with shredded cheese and zucchini, adding sour cream or mayonnaise to the dressing.

Use all or a mixture of to compliment the zucchini:
1 zucchini, shredded (I used my mandoline and slice to 3 mm julienne)
black olives, quartered
tomatoes, diced
green onions, chopped
cucumber, shredded or diced
bell peppers, diced

Top and stir in dressing:

Blend until smooth adding enough olive oil to make it a dip like consistency.

2-3 green onions
handful basil
handful parsley
2-3 T lemon juice
1/2 avocado (I used this instead of the sour cream I used to use)
garlic
olive oil
salt and pepper

This is great as a sandwich filling or used as a salad you scoop with chips. I can find many of these ingredients in my summer garden and they all tend to be staple foods in our house. Easy and fresh tasting.

Dark Chocolate Brownies

These brownies are incredibly dark in flavor. They are a bit on the bitter side, so if you like a sweeter brownie add a larger quantity of sugar. I think they are perfect for a scoop of ice cream. Let the brownies cool before removing them from the pan, as they will crumble when hot (still taste good though!)

1 cup butter
1.75 - 2.5 cups sugar
4 large eggs
scant 1.5 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vanilla
1.5 cup flour
4 ounces of dark chocolate, chopped (or about 2 cups dark chocolate chips)
Nuts if you so desire!

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13″ x 9″ pan.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over low heat.

Add the sugar and melt just until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat.

In another bowl, crack eggs and beat them with the cocoa, salt, baking powder, and vanilla until smooth.

Stir the butter mixture into the egg mixture until smooth.

Stir in the flour and chocolate. Pour into pan and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean. Cool before serving.

Cilantro Pesto Dip

This is a raw food that we love to eat with crackers or blue corn chips (not raw!) Many of our friends who dislike cilantro have enjoyed this dip. You have to remember to soak the nuts/seeds the night before.

1/3 c. raw brazil nuts
1/3 c. raw sunflower seeds
1/3 c. raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

4 cloves garlic
2 c. packed cilantro/coriander
2/3 c. olive oil
4 T. lemon juice
2 t. dulse powder (optional)
Sea salt to taste

Soak the nuts and seeds overnight in a quart of water and rinse.
Process the garlic and nuts/seeds until sandy textured.
Add the cilantro, oil, lemon juice, dulse and salt and process until it is a smooth paste (although sometimes I don't do it too smooth).
Serve with veggies, chips, crackers or other favorite dippers.

This does freeze well, although we never have any left for freezing.

Lemon Lentil Soup

Olive oil
1.5 c. onion, diced

1 c. carrot, diced
1.25 t. fresh oregano, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
.25 t. fresh rosemary, chopped
.25 t. chile flakes
1 bay leaf
Salt to taste
White pepper to taste

6 c. vegetable stock
1.5 c. red lentils

.5 c. lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest

Heat olive oil in large saucepan on medium-high. Add onion and cook until soft.
Add next 8 ingredients. Cook for a few minutes, stirring, until carrot
is slightly tender.
Add stock and lentils. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, partially covered for about 20 minutes.
Remove from heat discard bay leaf and stir in lemon juice and zest.
We usually top with lots of fresh parsley, yogurt and feta.