Hot Cocoa

A delicious recipe for two, to serve during the winter season. Somehow though this picture doesn't do this cocoa justice. Just trust me on this one. It's good.

Hot Cocoa for Two

2 cups coconut milk
2 medjool dates
2 teaspoons raw cacao
2 teaspoons agave
cinnamon (optional)

In a blender blend all the ingredients (except for cinnamon) together until you get cocoa. Place cocoa in a saucepan and heat for 3-5 minutes or until warm. Serve, sprinkle some cinnamon, and enjoy! Try it and let me know what you think.

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Chick-un Mole

Omg! I just finished eating this recipe. Wow! This one was amazing! Here we go.......

Chick-un Mole

For Mole Sauce:
4 tomatoes
2 celery stalks
1/2 cup coconut oil
3 medjool dates (pitted)
4 teaspoons agave 
3 tablespoons raw cacao
1 cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cardamom 

In a blender, blend tomatoes and celery until smooth. Begin to add coconut oil to blender. If coconut oil is solid, heat on low heat in a small sauce pan until it becomes liquid. Once tomatoes, celery, and oil are blended, add the rest of the ingredients and blend until you get a sauce like consistency.

For Chick-Un:
1 - 20 oz can jackfruit
1 onion diced
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
4 cloves garlic
mole sauce
salt

In a pan, heat coconut oil. Add 1/2 red onion to oil and saute for 3 minutes. Add jackfruit, brine and all. Cook for 30 minutes, or until brine is almost completely evaporated. As it is cooking begin breaking up jackfruit with your cooking spatula or spoon. Once it has a shredded chicken-like consistency add mole, garlic, and salt. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn off flame. Immediately add the rest of your onion and mix well. Serve and garnish with cilantro.

This tastes just like chicken mole and is so very good for you! Try it and let me know what you think.

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Jackfruit Carnitas with Tomatillo Sauce

I'm on a jackfruit kick! I want to thank all of my friends who helped in the finding of this delicacy. I especially want to thank my friend Rommel for letting me know where to buy this beautiful fruit! Just to reiterate you can purchase this fruit fresh if it's in season or canned from your local Asian market. I purchased mine canned from 99 Ranch Market in Arcadia. OK. Here we go!!!

Tomatillo Sauce
6 tomatillos
1/2 red onion 
2 cloves garlic
handful of cilantro
1 teaspoon oregano
salt (to taste)

In a saucepan boil tomatillos for 10-15 minutes. Remove from stove, drain and place tomatillos in blender. Blend. Once you have a smooth sauce, in the same blender with the tomatillos add onion, garlic, cilantro, oregano, and salt. Blend for about 2-3 seconds on the mix cycle.


Jackfruit Carnitas
1 - 20 oz can jackfruit in brine (not in syrup)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 red onion diced
6 cloves garlic
Juice from 1 lemon
2 tablespoons Braggs Liquid Aminos

In a pan, heat coconut oil. Add 1/2 red onion to oil and saute for 3 minutes. Add jackfruit, brine and all. Cook for 30 minutes or until brine is almost completely evaporated. As it is cooking begin breaking up jackfruit with your cooking spatula or spoon. Add Braggs Liquid Aminos, lemon, tomatillo sauce, and garlic. Cook for 5-10 minutes. Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Simple Guacamole Recipe

Simple Guacamole Recipe

2 avocados
1teaspoon olive oil

1/2 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon basil
Salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste

In bowl mix all ingredients together using a spoon to mash avocado as you mix. Mix until you get a smooth guacamole consistency. Enjoy.

No Carne Carnitas!

So how can you make vegan carnitas? Easy. Just use jackfruit! Jackfruit can be found at your local asian supermarket. Jackfruit works like tofu and takes the flavor of whatever you cook it in. It also shreds nicely like pulled pork. Here's a simple vegan pulled pork taco recipe that I made today. It could have fooled anybody. Delicious.

No Carne Carnitas
1 - 20 ounce can of jackfruit in brine (not in syrup)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup Braggs Liquid Aminos
1/2 red onion diced
Juice of one lemon
4 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoons raw agave
1 teaspoon oregano

For the taco shells and garnish:
Chard lettuce leaves
1/2 red onion diced
1 tomato diced

In a pan, heat coconut oil. Add 1/2 red onion to oil and saute for 3 minutes. Add jackfruit, brine and all.

Cook for 30 minutes or until brine is almost completely evaporated. Add Braggs Liquid Aminos, lemon, garlic, agave, and oregano. Cook for 5-10 minutes.

Serve over chard lettuce leaves and garnish with red onion and tomato. For this recipe I also put canned pinto beans and guacamole. I will post the guacamole recipe next. Enjoy.

Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Soda...

The holidays are just around the corner and all the door buster coupons are in. Commercials and jingles are being cranked out for the holidays. People are getting ready to start their Christmas shopping. One popular item that seems to be heavily advertised this year is a soda maker.

The commercial claims the soda maker will be wonderful for you and much cheaper than buying soda from the store. But let's face it soda is still soda, and bad for you. Soda has been linked to migraines, obesity, tooth decay, etc. Besides why buy a machine when you can make your own healthy and easy to make soda? It's as simple as pouring juice into a glass. :) Here's what you need: mineral water, juice, and a glass to pour it in. That's it. Easy, great tasting, and better for you than regular soda.

Mineral water offers all the benefits of drinking water, in fact it is drinking water. The only difference is that it is carbonated. The carbonation itself does not hurt you in any way and is actually beneficial for settling an upset stomach. No this is not my abuelita's remedy (even thought it sounds like it should be), it's actually true. For this recipe I used pomegranate juice, but feel free to substitute and use your favorite juice.

Pomegranate Fake-cola!
3/4 cup Pellegrino sparkling natural mineral water
1/4 Pomegranate Juice

In a glass mix mineral water with pomegranate juice. You don't have to stir or anything. Just pour the mineral water and juice out of the bottles and into the glass.  That's it. Easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy! Enjoy!!!

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie

Just in time for Thanksgiving, raw vegan pumpkin pie. This delicious dessert is best if made the night before.

Raw Vegan Pumpkin Pie

For crust:
2 cups walnuts
1 cup pitted medjool dates
1/4 cup coconut oil
1-2 tablespoons agave
pinch of salt

For filling:
2 cups cashews
15 oz can of organic pumpkin
1/2 cup agave
1/2 cup coconut oil
Cinnamon (optional)

For crust: In a food processor blend walnuts until crushed using the "s" shaped blade. Add medjool dates, coconut oil, and a pinch of salt to walnuts. Blend well. Place mixture in a pie pan and begin to mold it to the pan using your hands to create the crust. Once the crust is ready place 1-2 tablespoons of agave in the center of the crust and using a spoon spread it all along the bottom until the crust is completely covered. This creates a light layer of agave. Freeze for 15 minutes.

For Filling: While the crust is in the freezer blend cashews in food processor using the "s" shaped blade. Once blended, add the rest of the ingredients one at a time as it is processing. Stop once you get a smooth consistency.

Once the 15 minutes is up remove crust from the freezer. With a spoon, add filling to crust. You can smooth it out using the back of your cooking spoon. Finish it off with a light sprinkle of cinnamon. Refrigerate overnight. The next day you'll be able to enjoy an amazing and guilt free dessert for your Thanksgiving feast! I like to have my pie with a tall glass of almond milk. Unfortunately this is not the after picture of the pie. It was too tempting so I didn't take the after picture, but basically it's this only a harder filling consistency. :)

Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

A Special Invitation from Le Creuset and Our Daily Veg!

I am so excited! Le Creuset (my favorite and only cookware!) in City of Commerce has invited Our Daily Veg to participate in an in store demo!!!! I am inviting you Daily Veg readers to come out and join me in December (date to tbd) for a special vegan cooking class for the holidays demo. Learn how to make some creative vegan dishes that will enhance your holiday table. Space is limited so let me know if this is something you'd be interested in as well as what day works best for you: late evening, morning, weekend or weekday. Based on response we will determine a date and time. Hope to see you there it's going to be a blast!!!! Email me at: OurDailyVeg@yahoo.com

Melissa
Our Daily Veg

Garbanzo Miso Soup

Hello Daily Veggers! The holidays are quickly approaching and the weather is getting much colder. It's a great time for some nice warm soup!

On a recent trip to Sedona I had the opportunity to try an amazing garbanzo miso soup at a fantastic vegan restaurant called The Chocola Tree. I decided to make my own version of this amazing soup and I'm happy to say I came pretty close! This soup is fast, easy, healthy, and great for the holidays or for a day in.

Garbanzo Miso Soup

2 cans garbanzo beans
1 1/2 cups water
1/4 cup agave
1/4 cup finely chopped leeks or green onion
3 tablespoons miso


In a processor using the "s" shaped blade process garbanzo beans (liquid and all). When the garbanzo mixture is smooth, begin to add 1 cup water while it is still processing. Once blended, heat in a saucepan over low to medium flame. In a cup whisk miso and 1/2 cup of water (I like to use a fork to whisk the two ingredients). Whisk until miso is completely dissolved. Add miso mixture and agave to the soup in the saucepan. Once soup is warm turn off the stove and then add chopped leeks or green onion. Stir and let sit for about 2 minutes. Serve and enjoy!!!!

Try it and let me know what you think!

Melissa
Our Daily Veg