vegan lemon bars

Saturday night at the campsite came to a close with these zesty lemon bars. I was surprised they had made the trip intact, not to mention 36 hrs in the cooler.  They were perfect, and maybe David's favorite, I can't say for sure. But when you give someone with a lactose allergy a delicious dessert that's not going to send them into anaphylactic shock, the gratitude is felt.  

 

Just before the retreat, I attended a going away party for my friend Torrey. She's vegan so her mother had prepared lemon bars two ways.  Even though Torrey is convinced that her mother probably used butter, I still was inspired to make vegan lemon bars for the yogis. So thank you to Torrey, and your mom, Leah. Special thanks also to Amanda the Baker who lent me the cookbook in which this recipe is found.

 

This image is from the test batch I made for my mom's board meeting. They loved it!

 

Vegan Lemon Bars

(from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

Dessert is an extra special treat for vegans, especially if it's made well. Make your vegan friends very happy with all the love and effort that goes into this dessert. 

 

Do not fear the ingredients in this recipe. Agar Agar flakes are like clear bits of dried seaweed that help replace the texture that eggs give to a typical lemon bar recipe. I found so many vegan recipes that called for tofu, but I just don't like using it (see my post about the dangers of soy). This recipe does still call for a tiny amount of soymilk, but any alternative milk or creamer will do.

 

Crust:

• 
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 
• 
2/3 cup powdered sugar
• 
1/4 cup cornstarch
• 
1 cup non-hydrogenated margarine or vegan butter





Filling:

• 
1 1/3 cups water
• 
3 tablespoons agar agar flakes
• 
1 1/4 cups sugar
• 
1/8 teaspoon tumeric
• 
2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 
3 tablespoons arrowroot powder 
• 
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest (from two large lemons)
• 
1/4 cup soymilk
• 
Extra powdered or confectioners’ sugar to decorate finished bars 


Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 13 x 9 inch baking pan.

Tips:

 I used more than the recommended amount of lemon zest here and I think it really helps give these bars a delightful zingy taste.



step 1.

   Pulse flour, powdered sugar and cornstarch in food processor. Add margarine in spoonfuls and blend, 8 to 10 seconds, and then pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle mixture into prepared baking pan and press firmly into an even layer with slightly raised sides to hold in the filling. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes and then bake for 40 minutes; remove from oven and let cool. Meanwhile, prepare the filling.


step 2. 
   In a sauce pot, soak the agar agar in the water for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, zest your lemons and squeeze your lemon juice. Mix the arrowroot into the lemon juice to dissolve.



step 3. 
   When the agar has been soaking for 15 minutes, turn the heat up and bring to a boil. Boil for about 10 minutes, or until the agar is completely dissolved. Add the sugar and turmeric and boil until dissolved, about 3 minutes. Lower the heat to medium and add the arrow root and lemon juice mixture, then add the lemon zest and soy milk. Whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. It should not be rapidly boiling, but lowly bubbling is ok.


step 4.

    Pour the mixture into the prepared crust, let cool for 20 minutes and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours, until the filling is only slightly jiggly and set. Use a sifter or a fine mesh strainer for sprinkle the bars with powdered sugar. Slice into squares and serve.

The Buddha Bowls

What's a yoga retreat without buddha bowls? 

    This endearing term for what is essentially a healthy, cruelty-free bowl of taste explosions, was proposed by my best friend, Hayley. She undoubtedly saw this on a menu or blog somewhere so I am not claiming that either of us came up with the term. But a "buddha bowl" can really be anything you want it to be. Choose a whole grain like brown rice or quinoa, and top it with veggies and sauce. 

 

 

Cafe gratitude specializes in what I would qualify as buddha bowls. My favorite being: 

I AM GRACIOUS Hemp seed pesto bowl with brown rice or quinoa, shredded  kale, tomatoes  and brazil nut parmesan drizzled with olive oil and topped with sprouts 

Hayley said she usually makes hers with "all kinds of veggies, steamed or raw", a chipotle cashew sauce, and tops it with avocado. Or sometimes she just pours her famous vegetarian chili over some quinoa for a "Mex version".

For the yoga retreat, this dish was Saturday dinner, and I made the "bowls" with toasted quinoa, roasted butternut squash, sauteed kale, and drizzled over some hot and spicy red curry. 

It's safe to say that this dish was the number one favorite of the yogis. They were literally scrounging for more even after second helpings had been served. This recipe may be so loaded with deliciousness, it will have you believing the old expression, "never enough of a good thing," So on that note, let me remind you of the fourth Yama from the 8 limbed path:

Bramacharya

Describing the eight limbs of yoga is a long discussion in itself, all you need to understand, for the purpose of this post, is that the ancient practitioners of yoga compiled a system about how to practice their craft, as a way of reaching a truly deep meditative state called Samadhi, a sort suspension of the mind and what some believe to be a 'holy' type of experience. Samedhi is the eighth limb, but before that are 7 steps, one of which is breath, another is postures, but the first being a code of ethics to ensure that the yogi interacts harmoniously with their surrounding community. Among this list of ethics we find our word, bramacharya.

Some interpret this word as "sexual purity," or "celebacy," but these days, most interpret this ethical precept as "moderation" or "self restraint."

I encourage you to look for ways that you can observe bramacharya in your daily life. For me, it's not always getting dessert, or sometimes it means skipping a day of exercise because my body would do better with rest. Moderation doesn't always mean cutting back on the things you enjoy however, sometimes it can mean allowing yourself to have a little fun when you find yourself taking things too seriously.

 

I haven't done this in a while, so I'm pairing this recipe with Toe Stand. A pose that requires great balance. It's not often that a teacher calls this pose out in class, but it always takes me back to my Bikram days. Great for the fascia in your feat, and the steadiness of your mind.

Starting from a standing tree, or figure-four pose, bend your standing leg and rise up on the tips of your toes. You may need to balance on your fingers at first, but eventually your hands release the earth and you find balance.

"Health is the greatest gift, contentment the greatest wealth, faithfulness the best relationship."
-Buddha  

The Catalina Island Buddha Bowl

For yogis who attended the retreat and want to recreate this exactly, I've even provided the type of curry sauce that I used. Happy cooking.

Ingredients: 

• 1 Butternut squash, peeled & cubed
• 2 cups dry quinoa 
• 4 cups water
• 1 bunch tuscan or cavolo nero kale, chopped
• 1 can curry paste
• 2 cans of coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

step 1.
    Get your squash in the oven, as this will take the longest. Roast for about an hour with a little olive oil and salt @ 375 or until tender. 

step 2.
   Toast your quinoa over medium high heat in a large sautee pan until most of it has obtained a little golden color. This adds a nutty flavor and keeps the quinoa from getting mushy. Add the water and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat until the little spirals of the grain start to show. Test for consistency.

Maesri Brand Curry Paste

step 3.
   While your quinoa is simmering, begin your curry. Follow the directions for whichever curry paste you prefer. I like Maesri, and the direction say to warm it in a small pan and slowly stir in about 1/4 cup coconut milk at a time. I always use a little more coconut milk than the recipe calls for. With Maesri, I use 2 cans of coconut milk to 1 can of paste. Keep warm until ready to serve.

step 4.
   Drizzle some olive oil in a skillet and saute kale until it reaches a dark green color or a favorable consistency.

step 5.
   Build your bowl. Start with a few scoops of quinoa, toss in some kale and squash, and spoon over that tasty curry sauce. 

enjoy....

....in moderation.

 

Hummus

Hummus

     If you've got a food processor, a blender, or even a magic bullet, you should be making your own hummus. About a year ago, I challenged myself not to buy anything at the grocery store that I could make myself, and hummus was one of the first contestants. It's so easy to make a hummus that's exactly how you like it, why would you continue to buy the store brand with all those preservatives? 

Choose your chickpeas

The first step to hummus begins with chickpeas, or as their known in Spanish cultures, garbanzo beans. If you're looking for the grand satisfaction of making your hummus completely from scratch, buy dried chickpeas in bulk. Not only does this save you money, but it allows you to an additional opportunity to add flavor to your beans. If time is more valuable to you than a few dollars, canned chickpeas do just fine.

For dried chickpeas:

Soak completely submersed in water for approx. 8hrs or overnight is best. Cover them with clear plastic wrap and punch a little whole just to give them some oxygen.

Drain your chickpeas and prepare some boiling water. This is your first chance to bring flavor into these beans. Adding salt to the water will do, or something like a bay leaf, but I like to add my favorite Rapunzel vegan bouillon cubes. Once I added carrots and onions to the water, the way you make a vegetable broth, and later pureed the same carrots into the hummus. Feel free to replace the water entirely with your favorite stock.

Simmer the beans until tender. Drain, but try to keep some of your boiling liquid to help thin out the hummus later.

For canned chickpeas: 

Rinse, drain, and set aside.

 One cup of garbanzo beans contains 10.6 g of fiber and 11.88 g of protein. -livestrong.com

This hummus was spread on gluten free wraps and topped with fresh basil and roasted veggies for the Catalina Yoga Retreat

Julian's Favorite Hummus

This recipe is my sister's favorite. In fact, for the yoga retreat, I put her completely in charge of making the hummus, only involving myself when it came to tasting for seasoning. 

(This recipe comes from 'The Mediterranean Diet Cookbook' by Nancy Harmon Jenkins)

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup dried chickpeas
• 1 cups water (Tip: use the water that the beans were boiled in)
• garlic1/2 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
• 1 tablespoon (dark) sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin (or sometimes I use pimentón)
• juice of 2 lemons (or more to taste)
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (plus more to drizzle on top)
• OPTIONAL: pinch of ground hot red chili

Special Equipment: 

• food processor or blender (depending on size, you may have to blend in small batches)

Instructions: 

step 1. 

    start with beans, water, salt, and oil in the food processor. Then slowly add lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and the rest of the ingredients. Tapering in more oil or water until you get the consistency you like.

step two.
   Taste. Add more garlic if you like it garlicy. Try adding basil, pine nuts, or roasted bellpeppers, even.

step three.
    Dip or spread. I love dipping some freshly cut yellow bellpepper into a cold batch of hummus. Warm pita bread is great too. For presentation, drizzle a little olive oil on top and sprinkle some feta cheese and cilantro.
    For the retreat, I roasted veggies (bellpepper, red onion, eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash), and rolled it up in a wrap with fresh basil and hummus for Saturday lunch. I also do this in the summer on toasted sandwich bread, adding some cucumber & sprouts. Thinking of hummus as a spread and not just a dip has expanded my snacking horizons greatly.

 

Have fun making this hummus your own. 

 

Chanterelle Tacos

FRIDAY: DINNER

Nightfall at the campsite.  Photo by Ramin Sharifi

After an amazing session of restorative yoga, it was time for dinner.  These Chanterelle Tacos are straight from Heidi Swanson's Super Natural Every Day cookbook. I used Jalapenos for a little more kick. Great if you give the tortillas a little char, and make sure you buy Mexican oregano. The yogis enjoyed them with black beans, chips, and salsa. 

     I'm new to mushrooms, I've never really liked eating them before this year. And I find that I'm more fond of the "exotic" type mushrooms. Chanterelles have a great earthy flavor and might even convert the mushroom-objector near you. 

Chanterelle Mushrooms and Onions.   Photo by Ramin Sharifi

Chaterelle Tacos

(Adapted from Super Natural Every Day)

 Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
• 1 small serrano chile, or jalapeno finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• Fine-grain sea salt
• 12 ounces chanterelles or mixed wild mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 8 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Serving suggestions:

I heated a can of black beans with some salsa and served it on top or along side these tacos, whichever you prefer. 

step 1.
    Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute onion, chile, garlic, and 1/4 teaspoon salt until onions are translucent.

step 2.
    Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, over high heat, until mushrooms turn deep golden brown and release their liquid. I got two tips from a chef friend of mine for this recipe: 1. "Give mushrooms a lot of room," so use a big pan. 2. "Chanterelle's love butter," so I replaced oliv oil in this recipe for vegan butter.

step 3.
   While your mushrooms are cooking, warm your tortillas either over the flame of a gas burner, turning with tongs, until crisp and blackened in spots. Or by wrapping a small stack in foil and placing over the heat. (You can also char them in the broiler if you have one available).

Step 4.     
   Remove the mushroom and onion mix from heat and sprinkle with oregano. Adjust salt if necessary

plating.
    Divide mushroom mixture among tortillas and sprinkle with Parmesan.

Catalina Yoga Retreat Part II

Friday: Lunch

Basil-Mint Pesto Pasta Salad with French Green Beans

This lunch was a great start to the retreat because it's impressive and it was easy to throw together after a long and exhausting 36 hours between all my prep and travel. 

 

    I found this great organic pasta made from farro. Farro is an Italian grain, compatible to barley, that gives the pasta a similar taste and texture similar to whole wheat. The Italians believe that a pasta should mimic the vegetables it's being tossed with, so I found a shape that closely resembled green beans. If you want to use different vegetables, like spinach and cherry tomatoes for instance, than you might want to use a different pasta shape. This is a great recipe to play with. Everything was tossed in a fresh mint and basil pesto, and I topped this dish with a sprinkle of pine nuts, a healthy serving of avocado, and a pinch of micro basil greens. The micro greens were inspired by Heidi Swanson, who adds sprouts to her cold pasta salads. I also use lemon zest because Giada says it makes everything better.

Our campsite. Photo by: Ramin Sharifi

Basil-Mint Pesto Pasta Salad 

with French Green Beans

Ingredients: 

• 1 lb Pasta
• 1/4-1/2 lb Green Beans
• 1 1/2 cup packed fresh mint
• 1 cup packed fresh basil
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1/3 cup olive oil (or until you get a texture you prefer)
• 4 tbsp. grated parmesan* cheese
• 1 lemon, juiced (plus a little zest)
• salt
•  pepper

 

Toppings:

Avocado
Micro greens
Pine Nuts

*NOTE: the Catalina retreat was completely vegan so I used a vegan parmesan. I recommend however, if you can tolerate lactose, to use the real stuff from Parma.


step 1.
   Boil your pasta until it is al dente. Immediately drop into an ice bath to stop the cooking process. Then let dry on a cookie sheet. You can toss lightly in oil and store this pasta in the fridge until you're ready to mix and serve.

step 2.
   Blanch the string beans. French beans are thinner than the "american" string beans and I like them better in this dish. You only need to boil them about 3-5 minutes and then transfer them to an ice bath also. This method is known as blanching.

step 3.
   Prepare your pesto. Puree mint, basil, garlic and lemon in food processor. Remove and mix in olive oil and cheese by hand. Salt and pepper to taste.

step 4.
   I finished steps 1 through 3 in San Diego and the last step was just to toss everything together and plate. I gave everyone a few slices of avocado, some pine nuts, and a pinch of micro greens.


...and then I took a nap in my tent until yoga time.

Catalina Yoga Retreat Part I

Photo Credit: Ramin Sharifi

    When one of my favorite yoga teachers, David Ezekiel, asked me if Food For The Mat would cater his yoga retreat, I didn't hesitate to say, ‘Yes!’ It hadn't occurred to me that I wouldn't be cooking in a kitchen, never mind the fact that I had no catering experience whatsoever. Still, I was confident that I could do it.

     I don’t easily turn down new experiences, and I had cooked for large dinner parties before, how different could this be? So when he told me that I would be cooking for up to 20 people at a campsite on the remote side of Catalina Island, you might think I would have a change of heart, but I just smiled and agreed to dive in.  I thought, “I’ll have fun with this,” and I knew it was testing my confidence.

    Two months later, it was the day before the retreat and the reality was setting in. I had driven down to San Diego to do my prep work in my sister’s kitchen. I knew I would need her food processor in addition to the comfort and kitchen assistance she provides. Here’s a brief glimpse at the timeline of the day:

• 6:30am – Wake up and go to my sister’s for her house keys
• 8am – Cashing my check from David to buy all the food
• 9am – Leaving Whole Foods with all the specialty/hard to find items
• 10am – Leaving Trader Joes with a spontaneous purchase of two insulated bags
• 11am – Leaving Sprouts with the final bit of produce
• 11:30 am – Picking up a breakfast burrito when my sister calls to tell me that she’s    locked out of her house because I have the keys
• 11:45am – Picking up my sisters kid from school
• 12pm – Begin unpacking my groceries

 At this point I’m feeling behind. It’s already noon and I haven’t cooked a thing. But Suzanne comes over with her baby and keeps me company as I get an extra batch of granola in the oven and start roasting the bell peppers.

    By 6pm, most of the roasting was done, so I went into town to pickup dinner. My first official break. By then, my sister is home to takeover so I can eat. Together we finished the pesto, hummus, lemon bars, and butternut squash. We got everything labeled and ready to be packed quickly into coolers in the AM. At 11:30pm, the kitchen was clean and we sat on the couch with a glass of wine, reveling in all that was accomplished. My prep-work was done. All there was to do now, was survive the next three days.

    In the morning, my brother-in-law helped me pack the coolers into my car, along with some borrowed camping gear. It was raining, and I was about 20 minutes behind schedule but I made the decision to stop for coffee anyhow. The rain wasn't a problem at first, but it didn't take long for accidents to break out all over town leaving the freeways essentially at a standstill. I’ll admit that I was worried I wouldn't make it to the port in time, but I used every possibility I could to weave ahead of traffic.

    I parked at the port roughly 30 minutes before boarding; A close call indeed. But the bulk of my hard work was over and I felt a wave of calm come over me as the fairy pulled away from the dock. I turned off my smartphone and officially let the retreat begin.

    By 6pm, most of the roasting was done, so I went into town to pickup dinner. My first official break. By then, my sister is home to takeover so I can eat. Together we finished the pesto, hummus, lemon bars, and butternut squash. We got everything labeled and ready to be packed quickly into coolers in the AM. At 11:30pm, the kitchen was clean and we sat on the couch with a glass of wine, reveling in all that was accomplished. My prep-work was done. All there was to do now, was survive the next three days.

    In the morning, my brother-in-law helped me pack the coolers into my car, along with some borrowed camping gear. It was raining, and I was about 20 minutes behind schedule but I made the decision to stop for coffee anyhow. The rain wasn't a problem at first, but it didn't take long for accidents to break out all over town leaving the freeways essentially at a standstill. I’ll admit that I was worried I wouldn't make it to the port in time, but I used every possibility I could to weave ahead of traffic.

    I parked at the port roughly 30 minutes before boarding; A close call indeed. But the bulk of my hard work was over and I felt a wave of calm come over me as the fairy pulled away from the dock. I turned off my smartphone and officially let the retreat begin.

    I parked at the port roughly 30 minutes before boarding; A close call indeed. But the bulk of my hard work was over and I felt a wave of calm come over me as the fairy pulled away from the dock. I turned off my smartphone and officially let the retreat begin.

Photo Credit: Ramin Sharifi

    Once we landed in Catalina, a truck took care of our luggage as we carried ice and propane up the ½ mile hike to our campsite. Once the tents were set up, I would prepare lunch; My first official test.

Would these yogis like my food?Would David be happy with his choice to hire me?Stay tuned to find out….