Garden Pita with Creamy Avocado & Kale and Cilantro

I wanted to make a healthy lunch for my parents.  I ended up creating something that I will no doubt regularly implement into my own quick and easy meals :)  These garden pitas are delicious, quick and simple to make.  If you want to make a strictly raw vegan meal, skip the pita and enjoy the rest as a fresh yummy salad!! :)

To begin:  I visited my local health food/grocery store and bought Ezekial sprouted grain pitas.  They were frozen at the store, and still a little cold by the time I got home so I put them in the oven for a few minutes.

Next, I threw two handfuls of chopped kale in a big bowl.  Make sure to remove any large stems.  I added:

(serves 2)  INGREDIENTS:
2 pitas (I used Ezekial sprouted grain)
1/2 avocado
1/8 cup olive oil
sea salt to taste
1 handful of cilantro
2 handfuls of kale (chopped and stems removed)
Juice of 1 lemon
any additional herbs or seasoning of your choice...get creative!

I took the pita bread and smoothed 1/4 avocado on the inside, inside each pita, using a total of 1/2 avocado.  I used the avocado as a replacement for mayonnaise.  Next I mixed together the kale, cilantro, salt, olive oil and lemon in a big bowl, breaking down the crunchiness of the kale until it was a bit softer.  I took that and used it to stuff the pitas.  It is a little creamy and tangy with a nice zing as you bite into it :)  Perfect!  My parents were a little hesitant at first, but ended up liking it.

 You can also add things like tomatoes, corn, shredded carrots & beets, onions, etc!!  YUM

 

Quinoa and Vegetable Vegan Stew!

I'm freezing.  Winter is coming.  Kasey and I hosted a dinner party last weekend and we puzzled over what we could make.  No vegans were attending BUT we can't resist preparing a beautiful vegan menu.  It's such a nice feeling when people that expect vegan food to be bland and tasteless and boring are proven wrong :P We decided on a stew because what's better when you're cold and want something warm and hearty.  This stew was so fun to make, and simple.  The chopping took a while but if you have a good knife or a food processor that would help a lot.

We started with making the stock.  I think making a stock can seem a bit intimidating if you've never done it before.  It creates the base of the stew and that's where your base flavor starts.  I'll break this recipe into two parts to simplify.  Keep in mind, that if you are low on time it is perfectly okay to buy a pre-made vegan stock at the store, but we found it fun and delicious to make our own.

Vegetable Stock

1 Brown Onion, cut into quarters

2 Stalks of Celery, chopped in half

4 Carrots, medium size, cut in half

8 cloves of Garlic, cut in half

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon Cumin

Handful of fresh Parsley

Handful of fresh Rosemary

Salt and Whole Peppercorns, we didn't really measure, just added as we went

6 Cups Spring Water

*We included mushrooms in our stock, but removed them after about 10 minutes when we realized they could be overpowering.  

Throw all of it in a big pot with a lid.  Heat on high until boiling.  Then turn the heat down to low and let it simmer for about 2.5-3 hours.  We ended up letting it cool over night just for extra flavor development.  Strain completely (you might be able to find another use for the leftover vegetable, Kasey happily ate the carrots on their own they were so good :D).  You'll need about 2 cups of stock liquid for your stew.

Quinoa and Vegetable Vegan Stew

1 Brown Onion, chopped 

2 Carrot, chopped

1.5 cups Quinoa

2 tablespoons of Macadamia Oil

1 tablespoon Cumin

2-4 cloves Garlic, finely minced

Salt and Ground Pepper to taste

Handful of Rosemary

Handful of Basil

5 Medium Tomatoes, chopped

2-3 cups of red and green cabbage, shredded

2 Cups Kale

1 Sweet Potato/Kumera, chopped

2 Cups of the above prepared stock

2-3 Cups Spring Water

Add the chopped carrot and onion and garlic to your pot, with the macadamia oil.  Cook it off just a bit then add the quinoa.  

 Now add the stock, water, and the tomatoes.  Simmer on medium heat for about 10 minutes.  Finally, add in the cabbage and the kale and the sweet potato.  Put in the spices, the cumin, the rosemary, the basil, and your salt and pepper.  We taste as we cook and season accordingly, so our measurements might not be exact, but remember that you can always add more if you think it needs it.

Turn the heat down and continue to cook for 15-20 more minutes.  We checked on it constantly just to make sure the flavors were right.  It smelled so nice :)  Basically it's done when the sweet potato is cooked.  Enjoy!

We hope you love it as much as we did!  We had about 12 servings but everyone wanted seconds so it was hard to tell.  It was perfect for our chilly evening dinner party.  It was a big hit, for vegans and non-vegans alike :P