Chapter 8: Vegan
Vegans choose to avoid all animal products, including dairy, meat, eggs, and sometimes honey. For some people, a vegan diet greatly improves physical and emotional health by providing nutrients and eliminating toxins. It’s also ethically sound since it honors animal rights and the survival of the planet. Even if going vegan doesn’t work for you, try a few recipes from this chapter and experience how delicious animal-free food can be.
Spaghetti Squash with Caramelized Kale and Walnut Cream Sauce
Prep time: 4 hours
Cook time: 35 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 3–4
1 large spaghetti squash
1 cup walnuts
1 bunch lacinato kale
1 large yellow onion
½–1 cup vegetable stock
1 bunch fresh basil
5 tbsps olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Soak walnuts in filtered water for four hours or overnight.
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Rinse, pat dry, and cut squash in half.
- Remove seeds and rub with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper.
- Lay skin-side up on baking dish and bake for 30 minutes or until fork-tender.
- Scrape out “spaghetti” with spoon and set aside in bowl.
- Rinse and pat dry kale and remove leaves from stalks.
- Dice onion and caramelize in two tablespoons olive oil over medium heat for five minutes.
- Slice kale and add to pan. Allow to cook for five more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Transfer soaked walnuts, ½ cup vegetable stock, olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper to blender. Blend until smooth, adding more vegetable stock as needed.
- Layer caramelized onions and kale over spaghetti squash, then top with walnut cream sauce.
- Garnish with fresh basil and cracked black pepper.
Grilled Tempeh Collard “Tacos”
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 4–5
2 packages tempeh of choice
5 large collard leaves
3 cups water
1 tbsp safflower oil
2 tbsps olive oil
2 tbsps cumin
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tbsp white pepper
1 tbsp black pepper
5–6 tbsps Superfood Guacamole (See recipe on p. 73.)
5–6 tbsps Peach Salsa (See recipe on p. 77.)
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Bring salted water to a boil.
- Slice tempeh blocks into four pieces the short way. Add to boiling water and cook for 15 minutes. Strain and let cool.
- Combine cumin, chili powder, white pepper, black pepper, and sea salt in small bowl.
- Rub tempeh with mixture and set aside.
- Bring safflower oil to high heat in large grill pan, or use outdoor grill, and cook tempeh for five minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Remove, let cool for five minutes, and slice thin.
- Wash and pat dry collard leaves. Remove about half of the thick part of stalk. Cut collard leaves in half the long way.
- Toss with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper and allow to marinate for five minutes.
- Serve tempeh in collard leaf “tacos” with Superfood Guacamole and Peach Salsa.
Seaweed and Fermented Vegetable Salad
Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
2 bunches collard greens
2 tbsps sesame oil
1 tbsp brown rice vinegar
2 cups cooked sushi rice
1 cup homemade pickled vegetables
4 cups water
½ cup hijiki or other seaweed (found at Japanese markets and health food stores)
2 tbsps sesame seeds
Method
- Rinse and pat dry collard greens. Remove from stock.
- Chop into small pieces and transfer to large bowl. Massage with sesame oil and brown rice vinegar for a minute.
- Soak dried hijiki in 4 cups of water for 30 minutes.
- Place ½ cup sushi rice in each bowl and top with collard greens, homemade pickled vegetables, and seaweed.
- Garnish with sesame seeds.
Sprout and Berry Salad with Zesty Lime Vinaigrette
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 0 minutes
Ingredients
Serves 4–6
12 oz sprouts of choice
1 avocado
3 tbsps hemp seeds
1 cup blueberries
1 cup raspberries
¼ cup olive oil
Juice of 3 limes
Zest of 3 limes
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
Method
- Rinse and pat sprouts, blueberries, and raspberries dry.
- Add to large mixing bowl.
- Halve and score avocado into small cubes and add to bowl.
- Sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper.
- Add hemp seeds.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, lime juice, lime zest, sea salt, and pepper.
- Pour over mixture and toss well.