Recipes

chocolate elixir

Drink your chocolate in 2 ways:
Hot Chocolate or Chilled Chocolate Smoothie

Serves: 2

Cook time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• • 2 tbsp cacao or unsweetened cocoa powder
• • 1 tbsp coconut sugar
• • 11⁄2 cups of your favorite non-dairy milk (e.g., almond, rice, coconut)
• • 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract
• • 1⁄2 tsp cinnamon, preferably Ceylon
• • 1⁄4 tsp ginger powder
• • 1⁄8 tsp cayenne pepper
• • 1⁄8 tsp sea salt

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. For hot chocolate, warm the blended mixture on the stove. For a chilled smoothie, add 8–10 ice cubes to the blender and puree.

Variations:

• • Substitute the ginger with cardamom.
• • Substitute the coconut sugar with 2 or 3 dates. For easier blending, soak the dates in hot water for a few minutes before adding them to the blender.

cashew cream mac & cheese

Serves: 4

Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients for pasta:

• • 1⁄2 lb. small pasta, such as elbow macaroni, conchigliette shells, or fusilli

Ingredients for onion mixture:

• • 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• • 5 cloves garlic, diced
• • 1 tsp olive oil
• • 1⁄4 tsp salt

Ingredients for sauce:

• • 1 cup unroasted cashews, soaked in water overnight (or for at least 4 hours) and drained
• • 2 tbsp tomato paste
• • 1 tsp salt
• • 1⁄4 tsp black pepper
• • 1 tsp smoked paprika
• • 1 tsp turmeric
• • 1 tbsp yellow mustard, powdered or liquid
• • 1 tbsp nutritional yeast (optional; add extra 1⁄4 tsp salt if not using)
• • 1 tbsp corn starch
• • 11⁄2 cups water

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375. Start a large pot of boiling water and cook pasta according to package instructions.

While the pasta is cooking, sauté the garlic and onions with 1⁄4 tsp salt for approximately 10 minutes. When the onion mixture is translucent and slightly browned, remove from heat and set aside.

Combine sauce ingredients in a blender. Add half of the cooled onion mixture to the blender mixture. Blend for a few minutes, until creamy.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta and sauce. Add the pasta and sauce to an oven-safe baking dish (a 9-inch glass baking dish works well). Sprinkle the remainder of the onion mixture on top for a flavorful topping that will crisp in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes.

Variations:

• • Want to add vegetables to the recipe in a way that makes the sauce even creamier? Cauliflower works great with the flavors in this recipe. While the onions are sautéing, break a small
  head of cauliflower into florets and steam for 10 minutes.
  Add the steamed cauliflower to the sauce ingredients in
  the blender. Follow the rest of the instructions above.
• • Don’t want a crispy onion topping? Use a smaller onion and blend the whole onion mixture into the sauce.

roasted asparagus & brussels sprouts
with tarragon avocado sauce

Serves: 4

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients for roasted spring vegetables:

• • 1 lb. asparagus
• • 1⁄2 lb. Brussels sprouts
• • 2 tsp olive oil

Ingredients for sauce:

• • 1 large avocado (or two small ones), peeled and pitted
• • 2 tbsp olive oil
• • 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• • 2 tbsp water (more or less, depending on desired thickness)
• • 1 tbsp fresh tarragon, chopped
• • 1⁄4 to 1⁄2 tsp salt, to taste
• • 1 tsp granulated garlic or 1 large garlic clove
• • 1⁄4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 and prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut off the tough ends of the asparagus, and cut the remaining spears into 2-inch pieces. Quarter the Brussels sprouts. Toss the vegetables with 2 tsp. olive oil, then spread evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Roast for approximately 15 minutes.

While the asparagus is cooking, prepare the sauce. Put all the sauce ingredients into a blender and puree until creamy. Toss the roasted vegetables with sauce.

Variations:

• • Asparagus and Brussels sprouts are a nice combination of seasonal late-winter and spring vegetables, but if you feel like making the dish during the winter, the sauce works well with potatoes. Cut 1 lb. of potatoes into 1⁄2-inch pieces (red or Yukon gold potatoes work well, either peeled or scrubbed), toss with olive oil, and roast for about 30 minutes. Toss potatoes with sauce.
• • For a more garlicky dish, toss several smashed garlic cloves with the roasted vegetable mix. Roast along with the other vegetables. The garlic will be softer if you leave the skin on while roasting, but remember to peel the skin off before serving.