FRESH TABBOULEH with PEARL BARLEY

You asked for it. Or at least someone asked for it at one point in time... because it is on my "Recipes To Make" list, which is full of recipe ideas you guys want me to make (you may have already guessed as much from the very non-mysterious title of the list). Now that I am getting back into the groove of making and photographing recipes for my blog (it takes awhile after you write a cookbook) I am wanting to share recipes that I know you all want. So I have been checking out my to-do list of recipe ideas and this one seemed to be just right for today. Just so you know: the past two recipes I have posted (Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Sandwiches and Carrot Cake Cookies) were on the list too. I'm getting #$%& done, folks. But back to tabbouleh. I have been soaking up the unusually sunny days we are getting here and for whatever reason tabbouleh felt very fitting for my dinner after another day of sun bathing on the beach. As my dad says "Wow, Em, the life of a blogger/author is tough!" The von Euws are a sarcastic bunch.

I have never eaten traditional tabbouleh, only the adaptions to it that are very common these days in trendy spots; quinoa tabbouleh with sautéed eggplant, for example. Although this stuff is DELICIOUS, it isn't really tabbouleh. Apparently - according to Wikipedia - tabbouleh is traditionally mostly parsley, along with lemon juice, salt, onions, mint, a tiny amount of bulgar or cous cous, and a bit of oil. It's essentially a parsley salad. YUM. It originated in a region near Egypt that also gave us magical foods like hummus and baba ghanoush. Best place ever, basically. In my recipe today I used pearl barley instead of bulgar because that is all I had and it turned out wonderfully, even if it isn't strictly in the original tabbouleh style. Dangit. So that means I STILL have not eaten legit authentic tabbouleh. One day... one day. I think this dish is so desirable in warmer months because it tastes fresh with the lemon juice, parsley and min; and is served cold. This is a perfect meal on it's own, but I bet it would be splendid as a side/salad with another dish!

TABBOULEH with BARLEY: serves one

1-2 cups cooked pearl barley 
1 cup packed parsley leaves
Handful mint leaves
2 tomatoes
1 garlic clove
Juice from 1 lemon
2 small onions
Salt, as desired
Olive oil, as desired 

Roughly chop all the veggies, then pulse in your food processor until they are finely diced. You can also finely chop them by hand... but a food processor saves a lot of time and does the job just as well. Mix the sliced veg and barley together then season with olive oil, salt and lemon juice as you like! Enjoy. 

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WILD RICE with BLACK BEANS, CHERRY TOMATOES + STEAMED POTATOES

Keepin' it simple and wholesome, as per usual. I made this a couple weeks ago and posted a pic on Instagram, and I thought it was so pretty and delicious I decided to share the recipe with you, 'cause you're awesome, and so is this bowl of happy food. That is all. (Like I said - keepin' it simple.)

WILD RICE BOWL with BLACK BEANS, TOMATOES + STEAMED POTATOES

1 cup cooked black beans

1 cup cooked wild rice

2 steamed potatoes

1 cup salsa or tomato sauce

Handful cherry tomatoes

Handful chopped cilantro 

Pinch of turmeric, paprika, salt and pepper (if desired) 

Throw it all in a bowl. Yessss. 

Note: add whatever other spices or flavourings you want! This would probably be outta this world with the addition of an avocado. Then again, when is that statement ever false? 

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raw nori wraps with red cabbage, cucumber, carrots, zucchini & spicy dipping sauce

Oh I love mah LIFE. These are super delicious and super nutritious. Bam bam! Jam-packed with raw veggies and wrapped in seaweed, they deliver one heck of a meal that is sure to impress your taste buds and perhaps dinner guests? You could actually eat this recipe all by yourself because it's so low in calories (naturally) but I dare you to try... I couldn't even do it and I can eat a LOT.

I forgot to add avocado (doh!) but the recipe was wonderful even without my creamy green friend. Having said that, if you've got an avocado handy, use it. I ran out of nori sheets so I used rice paper to wrap some as well. Rice paper is so fun and easy to use, and it lets you get a sneak peek of what's inside your roll! Colours abound in the plant kingdom. 

I was pretty busy in the kitchen today - I made four recipes (this one for you, and three for my cookbook) so I am looking forward to a relaxing evening hanging out with an old friend... and maybe watching Tarzan or Aladdin. Shh... Disney movies are great okay (you cannot argue). Actually, last night I watched Atlantis with my girl friend and it was awesome. Sure, there are plot holes - but what is a plot hole when you get to relive your childhood in technicolour with an original soundtrack!?

Right. Back to food... make these.

raw nori wraps with red cabbage, cucumber, carrots, zucchini & spicy dipping sauce 

Wraps:
1/2 head red cabbage
1 carrot
1 small zucchini
1/2 cucumber
2 kale leaves 
1 avocado
3-4 nori sheets and/or rice paper sheets

Sauce: 
1 tablespoon tahini
Chili powder, to taste
1 tablespoon miso
2 dates
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 small garlic clove
Water, as needed to make it creamy and smooth

Make the sauce by blending all the ingredients together until smooth. Now make your wraps: shred the veggies thinly on a mandolin, but chop the cucumber by hand. Tear up the kale leaves and slice the avocado. Lay your desired fillings on one side of your nori sheet, and on the opposite side spread a little sauce to seal together the ends when you roll it up. Roll everything up tight and set aside. If you're using rice paper, dip the paper in hot water until it's pliable, then place everything you want in the middle. Wrap up like a burrito. Dip your wraps in your sauce and get this party started.

raw yam burgers & daikon fries with ketchup

Oh MAN, these are yummy. Fun and easy to make - what else is new? - and equally fun and easy to eat. They do get a tad messy but I trust you can handle this. It's family pizza and movie night at the von Euw household but this week I'm skipping the pizza and snarfing down one of these babies. (I don't literally mean an infant - I don't eat kids.) 

All that's in these burgers and fries is a whack load of vegetables and spices. Goes like this: throw stuff in the food processor, rub things with your hands, toss something in the dehydrator and you'll get a gourmet raw food meal in no time! (Okay, I may have simplified that process a little.) But seriously - it's pretty much that easy. Look at the colours of this food.

It's alive. I'm alive. Let's boogy. 

I didn't actually mean to get daikon for the fries - I was looking for jicama but the grocery store didn't carry it so I went with what there was. The fries turned out great, nonetheless! They have a fresh crunch and are superb with the ketchup. I should say this though - if you are new to raw food and the flavours that go with it - you may want to use jicama for the fries. The burgers are bursting with flavour and when you pile them up with fixing's and lettuce - there ain't no better option for dinner. 

yam burgers & daikon fries with ketchup: serves 5 or so

Burgers:
1 yam 
2/3 cup green onions (or onion)
1 red bell pepper
4 dates
5 tablespoons ground flax seeds
4 tablespoons nutritional yeast
4 large mushrooms
4 garlic cloves 
Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, basil, turmeric, paprika (to taste)

Fries:
1 jicama root or daikon radish (the size depends on how many you're feeding)
1 teaspoon veg oil (optional but recommended)
Salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, basil, turmeric, paprika (to taste)

Ketchup:
1-2 tomatoes
1/2 cup sun dried tomatoes
Salt (to taste)
3 dates
Water or lemon juice (as needed)

To make the burgers: prep the veggies as needed and cut them into chunks. Then pulse all the ingredients in your food processor until everything becomes a thick, wet-ish mixture, but don't pulse too long. You want pieces of the food still visible and you don't want it to be too wet. Adjust according to taste. Then form into patties and dehydrate for 3-4 hours, or use your oven at it's lowest temperature. You could eat them right away if you like, but they won't hold their shape too well. 

To make the fries: peel the daikon and slice into fries. Rub in the oil and spices. Dehydrate for 3 hours or in your oven at it's lowest temperature, (or you could eat them right away if you like).

To make the ketchup: blend all ingredients in your food processor or blender until smooth, adding liquid as needed. Adjust according to taste. Serve the burgers, fries and ketchup with lettuce, tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, onions, sprouts, avocado, and anything else you like. Enjoy!

sushi with sprouts & tahini miso ginger sauce

Oh my goodness gracious garbanzo beans. Make this NOW. You can taste the energy in this recipe, especially because of the sprouts. The sauce brings everything together deliciously with a savoury, sweet and salty flavour; the avocado adds a rich creaminess, the bell pepper gives you that juicy crunch and finally; the cucumber makes it all taste hella fresh. 

I made this as soon as I got up, to take pictures while the light was good, because I wasn't going to have another opportunity all day (it was a VERY busy day). I didn't want to eat it for breakfast so I have been craving it all day, until the moment I stepped back in the door a couple hours ago and was able to eat it. It's fun and easy to make, no special equipment necessary, and not much mess either. 

Let's roll, baby. 

raw sushi with bean sprouts & tahini miso ginger sauce: makes 2 rolls or more

Sushi rolls:
1/2 avocado 
1/3 cucumber
1/3 bell pepper
2 cups mung bean sprouts (or other fresh sprouts)
Seaweed sheets, like nori

Tahini sauce:
2 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon miso
2 tablespoons peeled ginger root
1 tablespoon tamari
1 tablespoon agave nectar
1/8 cup water (more or less)

To make the sauce: blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy, adding liquid as needed.

To make the sushi: slice the cucumber, avocado and bell pepper very thin, and add anything else you want to. Now spread some sprouts evenly over a sheet of seaweed, but leave a bit of space at one end and drip a tiny bit of sauce all over the sheet. Place in your veggies and roll up like a pro! Keep doing this until you use all your stuff. Then with a sharp knife, slice carefully present your beautiful sushi to the lucky folks you're sharing this with. If that's just you - pretend to surprise yourself and get really excited. 

Vegan sushi just magically appeared from nowhere.

green tea soba noodles with roasted vegetables & herbs

My boyfriend and I have been eating so many veggie-noodle dishes lately. Our routine right now (and probably through the winter break) is to get up "early", work out together, make post-exercise green smoothies or juice, then do homework/something productive and go for a walk. Then we make lunch and watch whatever TV show we are currently addicted to - at the moment it is The Wire. Thug life.

Anyhoo, the past week we've been making different kinds of soba noodles with a ton of raw and roasted veggies like sweet potatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, cilantro, beets, onions, garlic, bell peppers, etc. I like to add raisins and peanuts on top. So today I prepared some green tea noodles and served them with delicious, fresh vegetables.

green tea soba noodles with roasted vegetables & herbs: serves two hungry people

Roasted veggies:
1 sweet potato
2 large beets
4 large mushrooms
4 garlic cloves
1 onion
1 tablespoon fave veg oil 
1/2 teaspoon each of salt, pepper, fennel seeds, dill, paprika, turmeric, garlic powder and rosemary if you have it
1 teaspoon maple syrup 

Noodles:
1/2 package green tea noodles
1 teaspoon veg oil (optional)
1/2 teaspoon salt (optional) 

Toppings:
1/2 cucumber
1 cup cilantro 
1/4 cup peanuts
1/4 cup raisins 

Prepare your plants: pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice all the veggies so they are all roughly the same size. Mix in the oil, herbs/spices and maple syrup until everybody is evenly coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the beets and sweet potatoes are soft and delicious. 

While they are baking, make the noodles: follow the instructions on the package, ya goof! Drain in a colander and rinse with cold water to stop them from cooking anymore. Then add a teaspoon of veg oil and a 1/2 teaspoon of salt, if you like. 

Cut up the cuke and cilantro for the toppings. When the vegetables are ready: put your noodles in two bowls, place the roasted veggies on top, followed by the cucumber, cilantro, raisins, peanuts and whatever else you think to add. Eat with your significant other while watching cops chase drug gangs in 90's Baltimore. 

Namaste, yo. 

garden life

i adore our yard. it consistently provides us with such a bounty of sun-grown nutrition, colour and love. if everyone had their own garden, the world would probably be a more peaceful and understanding environment! good vibrations, maaaaaaan.

my dad got a new barbeque this summer (it's huge) and we've been taking full advantage of it. the weather has also been great so at least once a week we harvest a bunch of veggies from the garden and grill them with herbs. the rest of the produce we get from the farmer's market.

and for dessert? fruit. we've got goji berries, strawberries, blueberries, and figs - all that satisfy my sweet tooth as naturally as you possibly can. i seriously implore you to grow some of your own food; even just a few basil plants or some kale will do to get you into the mindset of having harmony and a symbiotic relationship with mother nature.

that's all for today! keeping it short and sweet. here's some calming sounds to help you relax this afternoon.

don't worry, i'll be back with delectable recipes real soon. BUT FIRST - i'm going on a cross-country motorcycle trip with my dad. i know, i know. i am so grateful for this life!

namaste.

.

curry with tofu & grilled vegetables

this curry is delish! mom wasn't here for dinner so it was my turn to make something. brown rice had been cooking and i figured some spicy curry with broccoli, leftover grilled veggies and tofu would hit the spot; since it has been raining all day here.

everyone said it was really great, in fact - jasper used the word "addictive". can't argue with that. we all took seconds. i'm glad it was so tasty because i didn't use any conventional curry recipe. i didn't even have curry paste. so if you're in the mood for warming curry, crispy tofu, tender veggies and rice; try out this funky recipe!

yellow curry with tofu, veggies & rice: makes a big ole pot

1 onion
4 garlic cloves
1 head broccoli
1 grilled red pepper
2 grilled zucchinis
2 packages tofu
1 can coconut milk
6 cups vegetable broth
3 tablespoons raw sugar (or other sweetener)
3 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce)
3 bay leaves
3 tablespoons curry powder
1 tablespoon each of coriander, paprika, cumin, turmeric, garlic, and onion powder
1 teaspoon each cinnamon, chili flakes, and dill
1/2 teaspoon chili powder

prepare the tofu: sautee it on med-high heat with a bit of olive oil, rice wine vinegar and tamari (soy sauce) until it browns. set aside.

chop all the veggies. in a large pot, sautee the onions, garlic and all the spices together with 2-3 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of rice wine vinegar until they're translucent and softened. add the remaining ingredients, including the tofu and veggies. let simmer on low heat for 30 minutes or so, until the broccoli is cooked enough for you. see you if you like it! curry is easy to change.

serve with whole grain brown rice in bowls with chives, hot sauce, sweet basil, and gypsy kings. yeah man!

oh and i have some news: I GOT TWITTER! it's mainly to get my blog out there more (by "there", i mean the world wide web). so follow me, please! it's so weird that i have a blog and a twitter account now. i feel like such a participating member of my generation, a feeling that is rare for me. i'm a bit of an enigma... if you haven't noticed.