summer smoothies and eating better.

Is anyone else craving smoothies all the time in this heat? I've also been trying to eat more healthily, replacing sugary desserts with fruit smoothies and granola and soy milk. Here's the recipe I made tonight. I think it's pretty killer.

Strawberry Mango Prune Smoothie:

1 cup soy milk
1 cup frozen mango chunks
1 cup frozen strawberries
5 pitted prunes
A splash of cranberry juice (optional)
Water, if needed to get blender going

Blend all ingredients until smooth.

Yield: 1-2 servings

That up there is a chickpea salad sammich from the Post-Punk Kitchen! I can't believe I've been eating vegan for nearly ten years and haven't been making this all the time. It's so good, so easy. I replaced the mayo with a tahini sauce and included a homemade roasted carrot curry hummus (add roasted carrots, curry powder and parsley to a traditional hummus recipe), local sun gold tomatoes, and spinach on top. SOOOOOOOOOO GOOD! I also ate the leftover chickpea filling with a fork and it was amazing too, and I'm thinking it would be even better tossed in a salad and served with quinoa, rice, etc.

Cashew Queso Tacos with Refried Adzuki Beans and Kale Slaw

All of these recipes come together into one perfect taco. And a colorful, photogenic one at that, which is why it's so sad that I didn't capture a photo. As usual, I was too hungry to wait another moment and the food was hot!

Cashew Queso: I love this recipe and Isa even more than I already did for creating it. It's perfect, even when I used water instead of veg broth and left out the jalapeno and red bell pepper.
Refried Adzuki Beans: Saute diced onion and minced garlic in olive oil. Add 1.5 cups cooked adzuki beans. Roughly puree mixture using a hand blender (or a potato masher), adding water until desired consistency is reached. Add salt, cumin, ground chipotle and lime juice to taste.
Kale Slaw: Cut 1/2 bunch kale chiffonade-style (long thin strips). Toss with lemon juice, olive oil and a sprinkle of salt and pepper.
Homemade Tortillas: The key here is to roll them out as thinly as possible.

Tortilla, queso, beans, kale. Eat!

Yield: about 6 tacos

Easiest Tomato Soup & Soft Polenta

This meal will seriously take you 20 minutes tops to make and only requires a handful of ingredients. I wish I'd gotten a picture, the polenta looks so purty* spooned onto the red soup. Serve with a protein to round out the meal. Some ideas:

• stir in cashew cream into the soup (1:1 ratio of cashews and water).
• marinated and baked tofu
• marinated and baked tempeh
• add a 15 oz. can of beans (drained and rinsed) or about 1 1/2 cups cooked beans to the soup.
• simmer 3/4 cup red lentils in the soup until they are tender and start to fall apart -- they'll pretty much blend in with the soup while adding great texture (this should take about 30 minutes).
• sprinkle walnut gremolata on top of the soup.

tomato soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely diced (optional; I didn't add this and it still tasted great)
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
28 oz. crushed tomatoes (fire-roasted is my favorite)
salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cups stock or water

Saute garlic in olive oil for just until fragrant. Add tomatoes, salt, pepper and stock or water. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until polenta is done.

soft polenta: (recipe from here)

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 1/4 cups water
large pinch sea salt
1/2 cup polenta (also called coarse cornmeal)

Bring 2 tablespoons olive oil, water and sea salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low and add polenta. Stir frequently with a rubber spatula (or whisk) for 15-20 minutes, until it reaches a thick porridge-like consistency. Stir in final tablespoon of olive oil. Serve over soup.

Yield: 2 servings

*Purty is an example of metathesis, a linguistic process in which two adjacent sounds are reversed in order. Metathesis of r and a vowel is common, since the phonetic properties of r are so vowel-like. Apparently third and bird used to be thrid and brid. I know I'm a nerd, but this is really interesting to me.

Tea-Infused Truffles

I've been on a truffle kick lately. And also a tea kick ever since my love for Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Spice tea was rekindled when I fell off the caffeine-free wagon recently (or did I get back on the caffeine wagon?). The cinnamon and sweet cloves lend a warm, spicy kick to these rich, melt-in-your-mouth truffles. Any tea would do in this recipe, though. Earl Grey would be divine, as would Chai. And how about Jasmine? The possibilities are endless!

Tea-Infused Truffles:

8 oz. dark chocolate, divided and chopped finely
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons coconut milk
1/2 oz. loose tea of your choice (or five tea bags, bags removed)
3 tablespoons vegan butter, room temperature
1/2 c. cocoa powder, for dusting (optional)

Heat coconut milk and tea over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, until hot but not boiling. Quickly strain out tea and pour hot coconut milk over 4 oz. chocolate in a small bowl. Stir quickly with a rubber spatula until chocolate melts completely. Add butter and stir until completely melted. Let mixture cool in refrigerator for 2 hours.

Remove from refrigerator and scoop tablespoonfuls of mixture and roll into balls. Let chill in refrigerator while you melt the remaining chocolate.

Melt 4 oz. chocolate over low heat in a small saucepan. When melted, use two spoons to dip each ball in melted chocolate, rolling around to completely coat. Transfer to plate and continue with remaining balls. Dust with cocoa powder, if desired.

Yield: 12 truffles

Homemade Toffee and Chocolate Chunk Scones

We have a scone like this at the bakery I work at, except these ones are vegan! The creamy coconut milk results in a tender, flaky crumb and the toffee and chocolate go together perfectly. Definitely save this one for the weekend.

Homemade Toffee and Chocolate Chunk Scones:

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons vegan butter, cold and cut into pea-sized pieces
1 cup full-fat coconut milk, cold
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup chopped dark chocolate
1/2 cup toffee bits (recipe below)

Preheat oven to 425. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or lightly oil. (If you have a seasoned cast-iron pan, you don't need to use parchment paper or oil.)

Combine flour, baking powder, sugar and salt in a medium-sized bowl (use the bowl of an electric stand mixer, if available). Cut butter into dry ingredients with a pastry cutter, two knives or your fingertips (if using an electric stand mixer, mix with a paddle). Add dark chocolate and toffee bits and stir to combine. Add coconut milk and vanilla extract and mix until just-combined.

Liberally flour a clean surface and flour hands. Form dough into a 9-inch circle. Cut into 8 pieces. Carefully transfer pieces to prepared baking sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes until scone springs back to the touch. Let cool for several minutes on baking sheet and then transfer to a cooling rack.

Yield: 8 scones

Homemade Toffee:

1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup nondairy milk
3 tablespoons vegan butter

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for three minutes. Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally. Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and let dry. When dry, chop into small pieces. Alternatively, let dry in saucepan and chop into small pieces when still warm with a metal spatula.

Yield: 1 cup toffee bits