I bring them with me to my desk, reviewing recipes to make or adapt to my liking, I bring them to bed and Mark puts them back onto the bookshelf when I, inevitably, fall asleep while reading. I believe that a well written cookbook can make a reader feel like they are in the kitchen of the writer. Writing a cookbook or blog is inviting people into an extension of their home. I feel I have dined with people I have never met before by making their recipes.I have been following Sprouted Kitchen for quite some time now. Sara’s recipes and Hugh’s photography constantly motivate me to practice just that little bit more, behind the camera and in my kitchen. Their book, The Sprouted Kitchen Bowl and Spoon: Simple and Inspired Whole Foods Recipes to Savor and Share, is one I grab frequently since Mark and I eat a lot of bowls.

The mixture of grains, fresh vegetables, and protein, topped with a great tasting sauce fuels my body and soul. I enjoy its simplicity in making and its variations of toppings. Bowls are a big part of my weekly meal plan and with this book to guide me, the possibilities have grown tremendously.

Some may think the term “hippie” is offensive but, like Sara, I use it with the utmost endearment.

12 recipes down, 18 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 13: Kitchen Tour. Missed Day 11? Check it out here.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made this recipe? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

FYI: This post does contain an affiliate link from Amazon. If you purchase the Sprouted Kitchen cookbook through the link, I receive a teeny commission from Amazon. It does not increase the cost to you at all. 

SC Hippie Bowl w/ Citrus Miso Sauce

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

30 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

This recipe doubles well so you can have leftovers for a work lunch or dinner the next day. If you don't want to use tofu, steamed edamame beans work well.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: vegan

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 8 ounces extra firm tofu, pressed and cubed
• 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
• Fat pinch of red chili flakes
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 1 cup short grain rice
• 2 carrots, peeled, trimmed, and shaved into thin ribbons
• 2 cups finely shredded red cabbage, massaged in 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ½ ripe avocado, cut into sliced
• Black or white sesame seeds (optional)
• Red chili flakes, if you like it spicy (optional)
• 
  
• Citrus Miso Dressing:
• ¼ cup raw cashew butter
• ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon white miso
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 3 teaspoons pure maple syrup
• Red chili flakes, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Rinse and drain the rice. Add it to 2½ cups of boiling water, bring back to boil, turn down heat, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until the rice is tender. Drain any excess water and fluff the rice.
3. While the rice is cooking, toss the cubed tofu in the lemon juice, sesame seed oil, syrup, salt, and chili flakes. Bake for 20 minutes until crispy, flipping halfway through.
4. Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the sauce in a blender. Blend until smooth. Set aside until you are ready to dress your bowls.
5. While the tofu and rice are cooking, prep your vegetables.
6. When the rice is tender, add it to the bowls, then the veg and cooked tofu, and dress with Citrus Miso Sauce. Add sesame seeds and chili flakes if you desire.

3.3.3077

The post Day 12 Vegan MoFo: SC Hippie Bowl w/ Citrus Miso Sauce appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

My brain has been drained a little bit lately as I get ready for another round of exams coming up and with the weather being particularly freezing lately I have wanted to go into full-fledge hibernation mode. Homework has been piling up because I am the worst at doing any sort of homework during Christmas break. As much I curse my procrastination, I did need the downtime to relax and not overthink everything to death. But now we are the second week of 2015 and I had to get right back into the full-schedule, juggling school and work full time. Blasted adulthood!

Mark has also returned to school and started his internship at a Toronto fine dining restaurant to complete his culinary degree. Nights at our house have become pretty lonely when I am not working and I usually have dinner by myself (with the exception of Barb snuggling on my lap). I haven’t really wanted to cook for myself too much since it always seemed like a waste but I asked myself why I thought like that. Perhaps I read too many women’s magazines in my youth (thinking that adults actually did these things) and thought that the phrase “Cooking for One!” was pathetic. Just because they put an exclamation point at the end and in a cheery bright font does not make the phrase any better. However the act of cooking a proper healthful dinner for myself should be a priority and I must devote some time in my evening to do so. A daily devotion to myself and my well-being. A dollop of hummus, peeled carrots and some pita sometimes doesn’t cut it as a proper dinner since I usually use the hummus container lid as a plate for the veg and pita. Oh how my mother would cringe.

Roasting vegetables with some chickpeas is pretty easy, comes together quickly and is versatile when you get tired of the same vegetables you have been eating all week. You can make this dish go even further when served on a bed of cooked grains like brown rice, quinoa or millet (all gluten free grains!). I cook my grains on a Saturday morning before work so I can eat them for my long shifts on the weekends and have some left over for school. I soak my grains on Friday night after work to get them all sprouted to cook the next day. Living it up. “Sorry guys can’t go out, I have to sprout my grains…” Don’t worry I have never said that.

Mark is appreciative of the leftovers he gets when he comes home late from his internship and I get an actual dinner. Double win.

P.S. I am digging this new addition to my pantry: za’atar, a savoury Middle Eastern spice blend that I have been sprinkling on everything. I also made this hummus with it.

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Grandma and I making pies in our pyjamas. Could be why I usually cook in my pj pants? 

My grandmother always insisted on putting together a feast every Christmas despite having back problems from a workplace injury. She would sit in front of the oven with a hanky stuffed in her bra in case she got too hot and needed to wipe her face (when I was very young and didn’t know about puberty I thought my grandmother stuffed her bra). She would summon people from their seats if she needed something in the cupboard that was too high, and no one was allowed in the kitchen unless they were called for. When I was seven years old I was called into the kitchen because my grandmother needed my help. I felt honoured because children were never allowed in the kitchen –especially during meal preparation. Since I was still too short to reach the cupboards I climbed the counters to retrieve whatever my grandmother needed. My mother hated that the hem of my crushed green velvet Christmas dress was covered in flour from the messy countertops but she didn’t make a fuss about it until we left. My grandmother said she was impressed by my climbing skills and how I didn’t ask a lot questions. I think I was too fearful of being kicked out of the kitchen to speak at all. I watched her season, stir and taste the meal we were about to share. I knew it was just right when she took a bite and nodded to herself. Then she called in one of my uncles to pull out and carve the turkey with her fancy new electric knife.

There would never be a table big enough for all of us to eat together, so the kids ate together and the adults dined at another table. You would move up to the adult table based on how well you behaved, and not necessarily if you were an adult. Once dinner was finished the tables were cleared for the traditional euchre game and the dessert was put out on the buffet table. Pies were always served, but there also would be squares, confections, and fudge that my aunts brought. I passed on all of these and saved my bowl for the rice pudding. I brought my bowl and the cinnamon sugar over to my grandmother who, by this time, was shuffling cards and getting her quarters ready. She sprinkled the cinnamon sugar on my pudding and thanked me for my help in the kitchen. She placed my bowl and the cinnamon sugar on the table and asked me to shuffle the cards for her. She said I might be good luck for the game and until this day I have never felt more honoured. Kids weren’t allowed to touch the cards out of fear that they might have sticky fingers, but I got to shuffle them. I remember feeling in that moment that I had become a little more grown up, and it is memory I will not soon forget.

Due to my grandmother’s ailing health she later ceased preparing Christmas dinners. She passed away in June 2012. It wasn’t until after her death I came to know that the rice pudding that I adored was actually from a can that she heated up over the stovetop. I had mixed feelings about it since I had told everyone all the time that my grandmother made the best rice pudding, but at the same time I was touched that she went out and bought this specific brand of rice pudding every year just for me. It was special to me because she made it special. To me this is what the holidays are about, these treasured memories that live with you forever.

As much as I complain about the holidays: the shopping, wrapping and travelling is all worth it when you can remember special moments like these. I hope wherever the holidays take you, you will be surrounded by people who you love.

Serves 2

• 1 cup water
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• ½ cup white basmati rice
• 1 ¾ cup unsweetened almond milk
• ¾ cup full fat coconut milk, can well shaken before measuring out the milk
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup

Optional Garnish

• 1 teaspoon organic cane sugar and ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, mixed together

Bring water to a boil over high heat in a medium, heavy bottom saucepan. Stir in salt and rice; cover and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally until water is almost fully absorbed, about 12 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, increase heat to medium high and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to medium low to maintain simmer.

Cook, uncovered, stirring frequently until mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. You should be able to drag a wooden spoon through the pudding so it leaves an empty trail.

Transfer to serving dish and sprinkle with cinnamon mixture if you choose to. Serve warm or at room temperature. My ex’s family had a great tradition to put an almond in the bottom of one bowl and pour the pudding over top. Whoever found the almond in their bowl got a giant chocolate bar as a prize. I like Green and Black’s Organic Chocolate bars.

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Chunky Guacamole

Makes about 3 cups

•  4 ripe avocados
• ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
• 2 tablespoons finely diced red onion (I bought 1 large onion and used 1 cup diced for the bean mixture)
• 1 small jalapeno, deseeded for less heat if desired and minced
• 1 medium garlic clove, very finely grated through a microplane
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice

 Halve, pit and scoop out the flesh of two avocados. In a medium bowl, combine all the ingredients except for two of the avocados, mash lightly with a fork or a potato masher. Halve, pit and cube the remaining two avocados. Add cubes to the mashed mixture and stir gently keeping the guacamole chunky. Cover with plastic wrap, pressed directly onto its surface to ensure it doesn’t brown. Making the guacamole before the rice allows the flavours to blend together.

Rice: Makes 3 cups

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1-cup long grain white rice, rinsed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ½- teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 ½ cups water
• Zest of 1 lime, very finely grated through a microplane

For the rice:

In a small pot with a tight fitting lid, melt the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the rice and cook for 2 minutes (some of the rice should become opaque), stirring occasionally to ensure you don’t burn the rice. Add the cumin, pepper and salt and stir frequently for 1 minute until fragrant.

Add the water slowly since it will bubble and add the zest. Crank up the heat to high and bring to boil. Place lid on pot and turn down to low. Simmer for 20 minutes until the water is fully absorbed by the rice. Fluff with a fork.

 Quinoa: Makes 3 cups

• 1 cup dried white quinoa, rinsed through a fine mesh strainer
• 2 cups water

Combine the water and the rinsed quinoa in a small pot and bring to boil over medium high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer covered under quinoa is tender, about 17 minutes. After both the rice and quinoa are cooked, you can add them together.

 **I tried to make the quinoa and rice in the same pot, but because of the water difference it was unsuccessful**

Bean Filling: Makes about 6 cups

• 2 teaspoons coconut oil
• 1 cup diced red onion
• 2 large peppers, stemmed, deseeded and diced, about 2 ½ cups
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 small jalapeno, deseeded for less heat, minced
• 3 small cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (Pinto beans would be a good choice too)
• 2 cups frozen corn, preferably organic
• Juice of 1 lime, about 2 tablespoons
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt

 In a large non-stick skillet, melt the oil and when heated add the onions. Sauté the onions for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally then add the peppers and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the cumin, cayenne, jalapeño and garlic, sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the beans, corn, lime juice and salt, cook, stirring occasionally until corn and beans are thoroughly heated, about 8 minutes.

Garnish

•  1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

 Mix together in a small bowl and set aside until ready to layer the bowl. You can easily substitute salsa for this step if you wish.

Other Add Ins

• Romaine lettuce, sliced into thin ribbons
• Minced fresh cilantro
• Hot sauce

 Layering

Add the rice and quinoa to the bottom of the bowl then the bean mixture. Sprinkle cherry tomatoes around the bowl and top with a big dollop of guacamole in the middle. I didn’t photograph the dish with the lettuce since it covered almost the entire dish. Serve. 

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These Chocolate Dipped PB Crispy squares are a perfect example of recipe failures turned into success with a little patience! I looked up a bunch of the traditional rice squares and noted a lot of powdered sugar and of course marshmallows. I did not want to take this route because vegan marshmallows are hard to find and some square recipes had up to 3 cups of powered sugar. Yikes! It makes my teeth hurt thinking about it. I turned to natural sugars in the form of pureed dates. Fail. Weirdly colored rice and it didn’t set at all. Just a big bowl of nada. I don’t know why I thought dates would work but now I know dates won’t work. I turned to liquid sweetener in the form of agave but it had a weird taste. I was about to give up entirely when I was looking through my copy of Forks over Knives cook book and notice they use a lot of brown rice syrup in their desserts. I had a jar of it in the back of my pantry that I had completely forgotten about so I pulled it out in one last attempt. To my delight the squares had set the way I wanted them too and tasted great. Brown rice syrup has a fairly neutral taste and I got my jar at Tutti Frutti in Kensington Market but I have seen it in most well stocked health food stores.

This recipe reminds me of part Crunch bar, part Reese’s cup, my two favourite Halloween treats. My sister and I had some serious negotiations when it came to our Halloween candy but we held on dearly to our Reese’s cups. My mother always hid our candy from us so we wouldn’t overdo it but every year one of us always found the bag. However there was a code to finding the bag: we always had to tell the other person where the bag was because if I was caught eating candy by my sister she would tell my mom and all the candy would be taken away so we snuck the candy together instead. Oh we thought we were so clever.

You can use less chocolate on the squares with a drizzle instead of a dunk in the chocolate (but really who likes less chocolate?)

 What is your favourite candy? Something you looked forward to or traded with a sibling? Leave comments below.

Right before posting this, Mark mentioned that he told his younger sister that the crunch in a Crunch bar are spider eggs so she would give him the chocolate bar to eat himself. To this day she will not eat a Crunch bar despite being told by countless people that they are not in fact spider eggs. I am dating a monster. Happy Halloween!

Chocolate Dipped Crispy PB Squares

Makes 12 squares

• 4 cups Rice Krispy Cereal*** (Or another rice cereal)
• 2 tablespoons salted roasted peanuts
• 1.5 tablespoons Earth Balance
• ¾ cup natural peanut butter
• ¾ brown rice syrup
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 1-cup vegan chocolate chips or dark chocolate chips (I used Whole Foods 365 Brand)

In an 8×8 Pyrex dish create a sling with some overhang off each side with two pieces of parchment paper. Please do not skip this step; you will never get a square out if you do. Line a baking sheet with parchment or waxed paper. Place cereal in a large bowl and set aside. In a blender or food processor, pulse the roasted peanuts until a fine crumb and set aside.

Over medium heat in a small saucepan, combine the butters, syrup and salt. Whisk until very smooth and melted. Turn off heat and pour mixture onto the cereal. With a spatula fold in mixture until cereal is well coated. Transfer coated cereal to Pyrex dish and press into the pan using your fingers or spatula, spreading the mixture evenly over the dish. Place in freezer for 10 minutes. While the cereal is setting, melt in the chocolate in a double broiler (a stainless steel or glass bowl over a pot of barely simmering water work well). When the chocolate is just about melted take the bowl off the pot and stir until chocolate is completely smooth. Take the cereal out of the freezer and using the overhang from the sling lift the cereal from the dish. Cut into 12 squares and half dip in the melted chocolate, scraping any excess chocolate off the square with your finger. Set on lined baking sheet and sprinkle the peanut crumbs on the chocolate half.

Continue with the remaining squares and place in fridge until chocolate has hardened slightly, about 5 minutes. At this point the squares are semi frozen so you can bring it up to room temperature but they are still delicious this way too. Serve!

***According to this http://www.peta.org/living/vegetarian-living/breakfast.aspx Rice Krispies are vegan***

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