vegan Archives - Page 4 of 4 -

Caramelized Kimchi Fries {Lightened-up, Gluten Free, Vegan}

on August 31, 2015April 27, 2021 By Kelley 8 Comments

Confession- I am a food truck junky! Having lived in Austin, which very well may be the food truck mecca of the world, I have dabbled in all sorts of adventurous cuisine. The stranger the dish sounds, the better. For some reason I really trust food trucks, and expect that even though the dish may sound weird, it must be good, because after all, it’s a food truck, right!? It’s like they some some extra special creative license to do crazy and out-of-this-world things with everyday foods. Do you all love food trucks as much as I do?

So this recipe is a food truck inspired creation. Chi’lantro was a very popular food truck in Austin, and they now have grown into brick and mortar as well. (If you are ever in Austin check it out!). One of their most popular dishes was kimchi fries. Basically the dish was a spicy Korean version of chili cheese fries. The bottom layer was golden french fries, topped with caramelized kimchi, your choice of Korean spiced meat,cheese, sesame seeds, a creamy sriracha sauce, and of course cilantro! Awesomeness!

Boo-hoo there is no kimchi fries to be found around here, so I’m making my own these days, and yes, they are lightened-up, healthier, and taste AMAZING! In my version I used baked sweet potato waffle fries- better to scoop with and better for you! I made my own creamy and light sriracha sauce, went light on the cheese, omitted the meat (you don’t need it there is enough going on, but go for it if you wish), and caramelized the kimchi with coconut sugar. Truly JUNK FOOD-REFORMED!

So listen to your adventurous taste buds and take the kimchi fry challenge and let me know what you think!

Caramelized Kimchi Fries {Lightened-up, Gluten Free, Vegan}

Sweet potato waffles fries topped with cheese, caramelized kimchi and chili mayo (lightened-up, gluten free and vegan).

As many sweet potato waffle fries as you want or make your own (recommend around 15-20, I used Alexis brand- organic, in freezer aisle, how to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTdT1BPRNXc)
1 cup of kimchi (you can find in glass bottle usually near the produce section- it’s refrigerated)
2 ½ tablespoons of coconut sugar (or substitute brown sugar)
1 tablespoon Tamari (or soy sauce)
1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
⅓ cup of shredded cheese such as cheddar (or vegan substitute)
1 tablespoon cilantro (chopped)

Chili Mayo:

¼ cup plain greek yogurt (or sub vegan yogurt alternative- plain flavor)
2 tablespoons sriracha
1 teaspoon chili powder
Optional Additional Toppings:
toasted sesame seeds (http://m.allrecipes.com/recipe/100606/beef-bulgogi/?mxt=t06rda, bulgogi beef/chicken/pork/tofu)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F
Cook the french fries according to directions until golden and crispy.
Meanwhile, over medium heat in a nonstick skillet, stir the kimchi, sugar, tamari or soy sauce, and apple cider vinegar.
Let the sugar, soy and vinegar cook off and caramelize the kimchi for about 3-4 minutes, until the kimchi has a nice sticky coating, remove from heat.
In a small bowl whip the greek yogurt, sriracha and chili powder.
Once your french fries are almost done cooking sprinkle with cheese and let it melt for a minute in the oven.
On a platter arrange the cheese topped fries, top with caramelized kimchi, drizzle the chili mayo sauce, and top with chopped cilantro, toasted sesame seeds, and anything else you desire, enjoy!

Tuscan White Bean and Quinoa Salad {Healthy, Gluten-Free, Vegan}

on August 27, 2015December 22, 2020 By Kelley 80 Comments

This fresh and summery salad is bursting with Italian flavor.

Do you grow tomatoes in the summer?

Or do you buy local tomatoes from the farmers market or veggie stand?

If so, than you know how amazing a fresh, juicy and sweet a tomato can be!

There is nothing that compares to the taste of summer tomatoes, sprinkled with a dash of salt, some fresh basil and a drizzle of olive oil! Am I right?

If you love fresh Italian flavors, like me, than you will love this recipe for sure! The ripe summer tomatoes, fragrant basil, and red peppers offer up a wonderful bouquet of sweet fresh flavor that you will deeply enjoy!

Besides having amazing flavor, this salad is highly nutritious and well balanced. The beans and quinoa provide a nice energy boost by supplying protein, which will leave you feeling comfortably full and satisfied! The tomatoes are a excellent source of vitamin C, biotin, vitamin K, phytonutrients and lycopene. Lycopene is a powerful antioxidant that plays an important role in bone health, and the tomatoes’ phytonutrients support a healthy heart (they have been shown to have anti-aggregation properties (prevents clumping of blood)).

Another awesome thing about this salad is how easy it is to make! You can have it ready in under 15 minutes. Just cook up some quinoa, open a can of white beans, chop up the veggies, and top it all off with olive oil and a drizzle of balsamic reduction! Ready to try some?

Did I mention it’s beautiful to look at too? So colorful! Enjoy 🙂

(Source: www.whfoods.com)

Tuscan White Bean and Quinoa Salad {Healthy, Gluten-Free, Vegan}

Quinoa and white bean salad with tomatoes and basil.

1 cup quinoa (makes 2.5 cups cooked, Paleo- can sub for 1 cup cauliflower “rice”)
1 can white beans (omit for paleo)
½ cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
¼ cup sweet red pepper (diced)
¼ cup red onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons of fresh basil (chopped fine)

Dressing:

4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 ½ tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
¼ teaspoons of salt
¼ teaspoon of pepper
2 tablespoons balsamic reduction

Cook the quinoa according to directions and place in a large bowl.
Mix in the drained and rinsed white beans, tomatoes, red pepper, red onion, and basil.
In a small blender combine the olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper.
Drizzle dressing onto the salad and mix.
Place the salad into the serving bowl or dish and drizzle balsamic reduction on top, and garnish with extra basil.

Apple Pie Fruit & Nut Bars

on June 28, 2015April 10, 2017 By Kelley

The yummiest KIND* bar is hands down the Apple Pie flavor, although they are all excellent. We discovered these gems at a coffee shop in Austin, and for some reason it was the only place that sold this amazing flavor. Having moved recently, I went out to search for the delectable bars. I made my way to Whole Foods and scoped out the enormously large selection of healthy bars, hoping to spot the rare flavor, mouth watering with anticipation, but was extremely disappointed to see there was no Apple Pie flavor! I instead decided to settle on the blueberry one, and left feeling let defeated and utterly disappointed.

I returned home and decided I had to find a way to reproduce these gooey apple pie bars so we could grab them whenever the impulse sprung. I knew the challenge would be creating a sweet sticky coating that would hold the bar together with simple healthy ingredients. Then it came to me- honey coconut caramel! I whipped it up, and it’s pretty close to the real deal and of course good for you too!

(*KIND is a registered trademark of Kind LLC, New York, NY)

Apple Pie KIND Bars

1 cup roughly chopped Almonds (raw, unsalted)
1 cup roughly chopped Pecans (raw, unsalted)
1 cup Dried Apples (chopped)
½ cup Raisins (chopped)
1 tablespoon Chia seeds
1 teaspoon Cinnamon (more if you like!)
½ teaspoon Himalayan Salt (or celtic sea salt)
1 cup Honey
⅔ cup full fat Coconut Milk
1 tsp Vanilla

Mix the nuts, chia, dried fruit, cinnamon and salt in a bowl.
In a saucepan mix the honey, coconut milk, and vanilla. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently.
The mixture will begin to froth, keep stirring, and remove from heat once it reaches the “ hard ball stage” between 250-266 degrees.
If you do not have a candy thermometer, you can drop a small spoonful of the mixture into a bowl of cold water, and then see if you can form a fairly firm ball with the mixture with your fingers. It should hold together once formed.
Once it’s reached this stage, remove from the stove and pour over nut mixture.
Working quickly stir and evenly coat the mixture then pour into a greased pan.
Using a greased spatula or your hands to firmly pack down the mixture into the pan.
Place into the refrigerator to cool for 5-10 min then remove and cut into bars.
The bars can now be stored in the fridge or freezer.