Quinoa Salad

Posted on June 25, 2012 by Elle

I love quinoa. To me, it’s like rice but better. In addition to being healthier (quinoa is a complete protein containing all eight essential amino acids), quinoa is also more versatile, being just as delicious cold as it is hot.

This quinoa salad is loosely inspired by a traditional dish from Naples called Zucchini A Scapece, which my grandfather made over and over every summer by frying zucchini from his garden, then dousing it in red wine vinegar, fresh mint and raw garlic. (I have a healthy version of this recipe that I’ll be sharing soon.)

This is a really fresh, clean, and light salad. This amount serves two as a side.

xo,
Elle

Vegan Veggie Pizza

Posted on June 7, 2012 by Elle

This pizza was the delicious product of random veggies I had lying around, some premade grocery store pizza dough (the mom and pop type with like three ingredients, NOT the national brands full of preservatives) and soy mozzarella.

I would say this serves 2-3 as an entree or 4-6 as an appetizer.

This was so good that I fed it to several non-vegans (one of whom is very vocally opposed to vegan cheese) and they absolutely loved it. I hope you will too! Homemade pizza is such fun food.

xo,
Elle

Senegalese Peanut Stew

Posted on June 2, 2012 by Elle

My mom found this recipe, made some changes, and it is one of my favorites! The original version wasn’t veggie-ish enough for us, so that is where most of the change lies. We love us insane amounts of veggies.

I encourage you to use organic veggies for this recipe (and others) if possible. In addition to being better for you and the earth, they just taste better. Everyone wins!

Start out by sautéing the onion and pepper in a little olive oil.

When softened, add the carrots and sweet potatoes. Let them cook for about five minutes.

Add the ginger, cloves, salt, and pepper. Let this cook for about a minute, then add 4 cups of broth. Once that comes up to a simmer, stir in the peanut butter. Let this cook uncovered on low until the sweet potatoes are soft (about 45 minutes). If it starts to get too thick, add more broth. I wind up using about 6 cups.