Tag Archives: Basil

Gluten Free Veggie Quinoa Lentil Burgers

Quinoa Burger

This week has been the introduction of a new month, a celebration to freedom and the 239th birthday of the United States of America. This weekend for the 4th of july (the independence of the United States of America) is an all American tradition of grilling burgers and hot dogs, enjoying the warm summer days, and enjoying any outdoor resources. My 4th of July couldn’t have been more awesome without the company of my vegetarian big family. We definitely fired up the grill with all of the vegetarian options, some family and friends camped outside, and spent our days at the river, swimming, slip and sliding, shooting bows and arrows and of course shooting guns…definitely did it the American way…only in a Vegetarian American Way!!! Below is my gluten free veggie burger I want to share with you all because it’s so practical and not only do I use them in burgers but also in spicy asian wraps, or Mediterranean with hummus and avocado. They are full of fiber and protein, and will satisfy any hungry taste buds!

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Chickpea, Cucumber & Tomato, Basil Flower Salad + Cilantro Poupon Vinaigrette

Cucumber Garbanzo Tomato Basil Saladbasil flower saladchickpea cucumber tomato basil salad

Today is a really hot day, and it’s suppose to go up to 109ºF!! After moving up to the hot northern part in california, my cooking style has definitely explored into chilled and cooling foods to enjoy in a 90+ Fahrenheit degree weather. This past week has been a bit busy with work and I didn’t have time to prune off the flowers on my basil plants, so I decided to use them in a chickpea/garbanzo salad with a basil and cilantro vinaigrette. The flowers aren’t a must in this recipe, but they do create a feeling of delicacy and romance to the plate plus it adds a beautiful touch to a regular plain chickpea salad. Continue reading

Vietnamese Vegan Pho Soup

vegetarian vietnamese pho soup
It’s throw back thursday with a Vietnamese pho soup my friend and I would cook up after our long days of school in the Art Institute. Pho soup is a traditional Vietnamese noodle soup typically cooked with spices, beef broth and topped with sprouts, fresh cilantro and Thai basil, but this beef-less version of it is so good, it will surely be a staple in your recipes for asian dishes. I was very lucky to have my vietnamese friend teach me this vegetarian version of it, because her family actually owned a vegetarian restaurant in Vietnam. where they made mouthwatering dishes with fake mock meats made out of tofu, seitan and soy. This soup is super versatile and if you don’t have all the ingredients, play around with different vegetables to create the vegetable broth, I’m always reinventing it and it’s still so delicious, gluten free and vegan! Oh yeah baby, let’s rock and roll in the kitchen!
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Vegan Zoodles + Cilantro, Basil & Sundried Tomato Pesto

Almond Basil Pesto
cilantro garden
cilantro basil pesto

Today was a gorgeous morning. I had an early morning stroll through my garden-in-progress, and checked on my tomato plants for any new suckers, which are little stems that grow between the main stem and lower branch. Those naughty suckers take the vital energy from productive branches that will actually give you tomatoes, so you have to get rid of them. As I continued checking through my garden, I noticed my cilantro had grown relatively enormous compared to last week. And I thought, why not make cilantro pesto with all the basil I have (10 basil plants) growing right next to it. I picked a bunch of both from my garden and made a veganlicious pesto to go with zucchini noodles. One word for this garden concoction: Delicioso!
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Kale Macadamia Pesto Zoodles

Zoodle_Pesto

Hola everybody, hope you are enjoying your easter weekend! Or Semana Santa as we call it in Mexico. Today this garlic free pesto goes out to a dear friend that has allergies with all kinds of nuts (except macadamia), veggies, garlic and onions, wheat, corn and other allergens related to his disorder: IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome). I’ve thought about the importance of creating menus for people that have allergies. I want to show that with proper use of spices, vegetables, and cooking methods, you can still enjoy a delicious and creative meal and I am more than happy to showcase that in my recipe index. So here you go with this delicioso vegan and gluten free pesto to enjoy for any occasion, please share with any family or friends that would appreciate it! Salud!

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Grilled Teriyaki Tofu & Sesame Coconut Rice

Grilled-Tofu-&-Coconut-Rice

I cooked up this experiment yesterday for lunch and it was veganlicious!!! You can’t really ever go wrong with coconut and asian sauces. I posted it on Facebook yesterday after I made lunch for my boyfriend and I was extremely pleased to see all my sweet friends and family looking forward to this recipe so here it is. This is definitely one of the most unplanned and creative posts I’ve done, so I hope it’s clear and easy to understand. Please comment if you have any questions, I’ll be happy to answer promptly.

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