vegansaurus!

Remember that 1998 episode of South Park (I’m so old) when Chef told his students to enjoy his chocolate salty balls? The world grimaced, laughed, and I have a hunch that chocolate balls and certain pornographic film sales increased exponentially.

Twenty years later, how is the market for chocolate balls? Are they still culturally relevant? Do they still taste amazing? If you’re a vegan who likes raw chocolate, our answer to all of these questions is UliMana raw vegan chocolate: proof positive that chocolate balls still rule.

The super adorbs packaging of UliMana drew me in immediately. Stacked like gum balls in a jar, each delicate chocolate ball miraculously keeps its shape while pressed against its brethren. How do they do that!? I imagine that’s a well-kept UliMana secret.

UliMana are technically considered truffles. I love that each ball is infused with cacao powder, coconut nectar (which is a much lower-glycemic sweetener than refined white sugar and other sweeteners on the market!), high-quality salt, cacao butter, vanilla beans, and various superfoods, depending on the flavor. The goji cherry and the cacao nib truffles are my favorite, but if you prefer your chocolate balls straight up, then get the dark cacao raw truffles.

Be a baller! Get UliMana online, at local Bay Area health food outlets (including Rainbow and Whole Foods), and your new best friend’s pantry. UliMana sent me some samples, which I loved on thoroughly.

This is Vegansaurus raw correspondent Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog, Queer Vegan Food.

In the raw food recipe world, ingredient substitution runs rampant. This is partly because food dogma varies among raw food enthusiasts. Want less sugar in your date-agave smoothie? Substitute stevia! Afraid of bananas? Use banana extract and Irish moss to get a hint of banana flavor without all that weird banana mushy mouthfeel! Want a gluten-free alternative to sprouted wheat? Try buckwheat! Everybody wins when we all get to substitute as we please.

Tons of vegan recipes call for soy sauce, wheat-free tamari or Braggs. Y’all know what flavor I’m talking about—that savory, mmm-hmm good ish required in such everything from raw stir fry to kale chips to kelp noodles deserves its spot in our cuisine! What you may have noticed, if you’re reading swanky blogs, is a substitution option by the name of Coconut Secret coconut aminos. Like Braggs liquid aminos, coconut aminos tastes pretty similar to soy sauce, only as well as being gluten-free, it’s also raw, organic, and non-GMO. Wow!

Coconut Secret sent me a sample of the coconut aminos, and it tastes pretty great. I can’t tell the difference between wheat-free tamari and coconut aminos (unless I use a lot).

I used some coconut aminos in my romantic raw vegan marinated veggie dish the other night. I soaked some broccoli, green onion, carrots, cauliflower, red bell peppers, and wakame in coconut aminos with apple cider vinegar, and prayed it wouldn’t taste like crap and that my girlfriend would still love me. It turned out amazing! The coconut aminos adds a depth and richness, and is an exciting alternative, especially if you are trying to avoid gluten, soy, or all things conventional. Enjoy!

This is Vegansaurus raw correspondent Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog, Queer Vegan Food.

There’s something timeless and wonderful about the taste of almonds that no other seed or nut butter could ever match. But hot dang, that ish is expensive! Anyone who’s bought almond butter recently knows that there’s quite a significant price jump between peanut butter and almond butter ($5 to $10 sometimes!), and an even greater price gap between roasted and raw varieties of almond butter. You could easily pay $7 to $10 more for raw almond butter! In these tough times, that’s a lot of dough to spend on butter!

In my opinion, shelling out for more expensive almond butter isn’t usually worth it. I mean, we have nonprofit jobs, families and gender-queer allies to feed! That said, I believe splurging now and then for raw, sprouted, organic, non-GMO almond butter from Living Tree is just about the healthiest and tastiest decision you could make!

While I don’t think heated nut fats will kill you, I do believe that sprouted nut butters taste better and are the only legit way to know you’re eating truly raw almonds. Sprouting almonds before grinding them into nut butter is one of the most labor-intensive and debated practices in the nut butter business. In order to call your food “living,” some say nut butters have to be sprouted. California has some pretty tough laws when it comes to heating almonds, even those that are organic and labeled “raw.” I am pretty sure the most common source of “truly raw almonds” are imported from Italy.

That means that raw almond butter could basically refer to many different levels of “rawness,” and the only real way you can really tell if an almond is raw or living is if it sprouts. Living Tree Sprouted almond butter is definitely raw, and is an incredible hybrid between chunky and smooth. It feels like a totally different almond butter. It’s incredibly fluffy, like eating an almond cloud, with little grains of sand flowing into your mouth and heart.

If you’re going to dump tons of almond butter into a raw pad thai recipe or use it as the base of an almond butter and jelly sandwich, then you can choose whatever brand/roasted/raw variety you see fit. But if you’re going to invite your snobby raw correspondent over for a spot of green tea and raw crumpets, I would be ever so delighted if you served Living Tree Sprouted Almond Butter!

UPDATE: I found out from Living Tree that their organic, “alive” almond butter is only raw, not sprouted. They only purchase almonds from local organic California family farmers, and have been working with the same farmers for more than 15 years.

Instead of actually sprouting the almonds, they instead make the almond butter over several days. The key difference in their process is that they slice and never grind the almonds. After this, they let the mixture rest overnight, and slice again the next day. This is why their almond butter tastes so fluffy, and they believe it preserves the health content of the nuts.

[Photo courtesy of Living Tree, which sent me a complimentary jar of the almond butter.]

This is Vegansaurus raw correspondent Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog, Queer Vegan Food.

This smoothie is one of the most delicious, creamy, filling and energizing drinks I’ve ever had. It’s inspired by Cafe Gratitude’s raw chocolate smoothies that blew my mind when I first had them. I could literally drink 3 or 4 cups of this and not get bored—it would just make an amazingly delicious meal!

The recipe requires a 1-2 hour wait because you have to pre-soak the cashews to make them extra creamy.

Chocolate Smoothie

Ingredients

1 Handful raw soaked cashews (3-4 oz)
1 Tablespoon raw Cacao powder
1 teaspoon raw cacao nibs (optional, adds a nice chocolate crunch)
1/2 oz agave nectar
4 medjool dates
16 oz water
(Optional) Ice Cubes, just to add a thicker, slushy-like texture.

Directions

Soak the cashews in water, making sure they’re fully submerge, for at least 1 hour. You can also soak them overnight ahead of time to prepare for an amazing delicious energetic breakfast smoothie. Soaking the cashews helps not only improve their taste and creaminess when blended, it also helps improve enzyme activity and digestion of the cashew’s nutrients.

After the cashews are soaked, drain the water, then rinse them and drain the water again.

Add the soaked cashews and the rest of the ingredients to a blender. Blend for at least 60 seconds to turn the dates and cashews into a nice creamy mixture.

What you’ll be left with is pure heaven! Make sure to drink it right away as you’ll get most of the nutrients still active and the taste will be best. If you must, you can store it in the fridge for 24 hours.

Thanks to Tom Corson-Knowles from Authentic Health Coaching for sharing this great recipe! You can check out Tom’s blog about nutrition, healthy meal plans, and more great recipes at www.TomCorsonKnowles.com/blog

When Vegansaurus gave me the chance to review Douglas McNish’s new cookbook, Eat Raw, Be Well, I consented enthusiastically and chomped at the bit until it arrived. I love making raw, vegan, gluten-free food (obviously) that isn’t too complicated or hard to prepare. In my opinion, overly intricate raw food cookbooks do more harm than good for the aspiring raw food chef. Sure, the pictures are nice, the descriptions fanciful, and their promise of gastronomic decadence enticing—but once casual chefs attempt some recipe with a mile-long ingredient list and super-complex instructions, they often grow discouraged that they drop raw food preparation altogether. I think that’s so sad!

When it comes to feeding myself, my friends, my family, and my dearest, I prefer recipes that favor simplicity and easy-to-digest combinations. I heard that this cookbook focused on easy-to-prepare recipes that don’t go overboard with ingredients required to make everything. Eat Raw, Eat Well recipes range from super-simple, three-ingredient raw cauliflower popcorn (nutritional yeast! salt! cauliflower!) to dishes that will take a bit more time to prepare.

This book has tons of recipes for the very beginner chef, including some great tips on how to make them on the left. Before reading this book, I reached into the knife drawer at my communal household in Glendale and pulled out whatever seemed cleanest. Now, I often search for the pairing knife that we keep sequestered in a special drawer when possible, because Mr. McNish says it’s good to do that and I think he’s right! Now I cut with ease and confidence, bitch.

The publishers gave me permission to post one of my favorite recipes in the book, the Pesto-Coated Carrot and Parsnip Fettuccine (page 236).

This dish is a great way to get as many healthy ingredients into your body as possible without having to sacrifice any of the things you love. The softness of the root vegetables makes it reminiscent of traditional al dente pasta.

Makes two servings

Ingredients
3 large carrots, peeled
3 large parsnips, peeled 3
1 Tbsp. cold-pressed (extra virgin) olive oil (15 ml)
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided (60 ml)
1 1/2 Tbsp. fine sea salt, divided (22 ml)
3/4 cup cold-pressed hemp oil (175 ml)
1/2 cup raw shelled hemp seeds (125 ml)
3 cloves garlic
3 cups chopped fresh cilantro leaves (750 ml)

Instructions
1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel carrots and parsnips into long, thin strips, dropping into a bowl as completed (see Tips) Add olive oil, 1 tsp. (5 ml) lemon juice, and 1/4 tsp. (1 ml) salt, and toss until vegetables are well coated. Set aside for 10 minutes, until softened.

2. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process hemp oil and seeds, garlic and remaining lemon juice and salt, until somewhat smooth but the hemp seeds retain some texture. Add cilantro and process until chopped and blended, stopping the motor once to scrape down the sides of the work bowl. Add pesto to fettuccine, toss well and serve.

Variations
Substitute an equal quantity of parsley leaves for the cilantro.

Toss the fettuccine from Step 1 with another sauce, instead of the pesto.

Tips
Peeling the vegetables lengthwise produces the long, thin strips required for this recipe. For best results use a Y-shaped (slingshot) vegetable peeler. When using a regular peeler, you can glide down the length of the vegetable to make one long, thin strip.

If you prefer, combine the ingredients for the marinade in a small bowl before tossing with the vegetables, to ensure even integration.

I am not a big fan of agave and kind of think it’s gross, so I was happy to see the desserts go light on them. In general, Eat Raw, Eat Well’s recipes are nutrient-rich and focus on using low-glycemic, healthful ingredients. There are better books out there if you’re just getting into raw food. Raw Food for One and Rainbow Green Live Food Cuisine top my list for raw beginners, but I think this book would be a very good choice for the beginning to intermediate raw food chef. Happy uncooking to you!

Recipe and photo from Eat Raw, Eat Well by Douglas McNish © 2012 Robert Rose Inc. Reprinted with permission. All rights reserved.

This is Vegansaurus raw correspondent Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog Queer Vegan Food.

This recipe is inspired from watching Jersey Shore. I like what I like and I’m not going to apologize. If Snooki can make vodka cream sauce, from scratch, for her roommates without burning down the house, I imagined that I could make a vegan version! And you know what? I was right! We all benefit from my choice in television programs.

I have a version of this same recipe completely from scratch here. However, as I was explaining to my friend Britney, now that I am no longer depressed, lonely, and not sleeping, I don’t want or need to spend three hours making a sauce (because that’s what depressed people do?). So I give you, vegan vodka cream sauce for the busy, tired, and socially active person on the go!

Ingredients
1 jar of marinara sauce (the plainer the better—no mushroom or red bell pepper varieties for this dish)
1/2 cup vodka
1 cup unsweetened soy creamer (or 1 cup cashew cream!)
2 Tbsp. oil (I used olive)
1 red onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped or minced*
1/4 cup red wine (optional)

Instructions
Now, you can actually skip sauteing the onions and garlic, but I wanted to feel like I did some cooking for this dish. Heat up oil, in a pan on medium high heat and when hot, add chopped onion. Bring down heat to medium, cook  onion to your liking — until translucent or caramelized. Add garlic, and cook until fragrant, which is only a few minutes. Be careful not to let the garlic brown.

At this point, I added red wine, which is unnecessary, but I like to think of my vodka sauce as the jungle juice of marinara! I like the added flavor wine brings. If you decide to pour it in, cook it off for another couple of minutes, to burn the alcohol out and also to absorb into the onions and garlic.

I believe this is also referred to as deglazing.

Now add your jar of marinara to the onions and garlic, and then the vodka! Let it come to a light boil, turning up the heat if you must. Let it bubble for a couple of minutes, then add your cream. Stir it in, let it heat up in the sauce, and remove from heat.

This sauce must be smooth! Pulverize this baby in a food processor, blender, or Vita-Mix.

That’s it! I don’t need to tell you how to cook pasta, right? I like penne the best, so that is my pasta of choice when I make this sauce.

*I used 8 cloves of garlic. Maybe more. Obviously, I am terrified of vampires coming for me in the middle of the night.

This Saturday, April 28, from 3 to 6 p.m., the adorable Never Felt Better Vegan Shop (we love them!) is having a Spring Gala & Turlock Hen Rescue Art Show with Silent Auction! Sponsored by Little Monsters Pet Care (run by the lovely and vegan Beth Marshall!), the event looks like it’ll have AMAZING silent auction goodies. I want it all! All of it!

Come fight me to the death for it and enjoy all sorts of delicious vegan snacks and drinks and beautiful prints of rescued chickens and the companionship of like-minded awesome folks. Let’s do this!

In my recipes, I talk about caramelizing onions a lot! I always do it, because I like the depth of flavor it adds to food. I remember when I first started hanging out in the kitchen,* learning how to cook, I was like, “Hey, what’s the difference between caramelizing onions and burning them?” No one could give me an answer I liked. I think it’s the difference between browning them to release the sugars and blackening them because the heat was too high. Does that work for you?

I’m also a visual person, so we’ll do this step by step. Pictures included!

Ingredients
2 Tbsp. oil (I’m using olive, but vegetable is more than fine!)
2 red onions

Instructions
For most recipes, you will probably only need one onion, but for the sake of this demonstration, I’ll be using two. Let’s say, one tablespoon of oil to one onion? I think that sounds good. Caramelizing onions can take up to an hour, so plan accordingly!

Another great thing about caramelizing onions is that you can keep them in the fridge to use later, though I’d say store them no more than five days. Then, when you want to use them for a recipe, heat and go.

Let’s get this onion party started! Heat oil on medium high heat. You will know it’s ready when you flick some cold water into the pan and it sizzles. Add your chopped onion and turn heat down to medium.

Chopped onions.

Chopped red onions in heated olive oil. Let the caramelizing begin!

Now is the part where you don’t have to do much, but stay close to your onions so you can keep an eye on them. You don’t have to constantly turn them with a spatula, maybe about every 7 to 10 minutes.

My onions took about 50 minutes to caramelize. I turned the heat down low; not only was I in the middle of watching Big Love, but my porcelain pan gets very hot in the middle and I didn’t want my onions to burn. I scooted them to the sides, where less heat was concentrated.

Scoot action.

The finished product.

The point at which your onions are done is kind of up to you. I stop cooking mine when they are nicely brown, through and through. You will reach this point anywhere between 20 and 60 minutes. Taste them during your cooking process to see if they’ve achieved a level of caramelization to your liking!

Another little thing I did, which is totally optional, was deglaze my pan with white wine. When I felt my onions were done, I added a healthy splash of wine into the pan, and let it cook into the onions for a minute or two before turning the heat off. This lifts all the caramelized bits off of your pan and back into the onions. Yum! If wine isn’t your thing, you can do this with vegetable stock.

I want to give a shout-out to Chef Fox at Source, because he has given me tons of tips on how to caramelize onions. Thanks, boss!

*Did you know I’ve worked at The Chicago Diner, Cafe Gratitude, and now Source? Well, now you do!

Okay, fame whores and people who love free shit (you should all still be reading): Ike’s SFSU is going to be on Vegan Kitchen TV on Friday, April 27, with free vegan samples from 3 to 4 p.m. Ike himself has kindly invited us all down to eat, drink and GET DISCOVERED! All right!

I’ve heard some rumors that Ike is serving non-vegan food to vegans, and that’s not true. He uses Tofurky, vegan meatballs, and Viana vegan chicken. There was a short period of time when the company making their vegan chicken went out of business, and during that time, they served Tofurky in its place. Ike’s has always been crazy sexy cool (read: honest) with me about the sandwich ingredients, and I’m so thankful that they’ve brought their gluten-y goodness to the vegans!

So, feel free to eat your Ike’s with abandon, and let’s get on the fast track to type 2 diabetes, and FAME. YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!

Stephen James Luxury Organics sprouted nut, seed, and superfood bars taste great, but the best thing about them is the super cute packaging. A chiseled half-naked cartoon man adorns the Berry Bar, inspiring vegans everywhere to eat more berries and do more push-ups.

All of the bars are crunchy, and the flavors range from very good to excellent: The Beauty Bar and Berry Bar were my favorites, with just the right amount of sweet and tang, followed by the Pizza Bar.

Remember pizza combos, those pretzels filled with mile-long artificial ingredients that somehow confuse your brain into thinking you are eating pizza? The pizza bar tastes kind of similar, if all the chemical aftertaste were replaced by a smushed-together raw pizza you might get at Cafe Gratitude (before it closes!), replete with delicious tomato and botija olives—such a fancy/interesting touch, and it totally works!

The Beauty Bar has a sassy lady on the cover, so one might assume she is love interest of the dude on the Berry Bar box. Since a fellow Vassar grad I know works at Steven James Organics, I’m going to spill the beans: Berry Bar is single, waiting for his Mr. Berry to come along, and Beauty Bar is totally into the meditating chick on the Smart Bar. They’re all delicious, just so we’re clear!

SJO also sells Volcanic Pili nuts. Their Pili nuts are sourced from the Philippine rainforest, and taste like a mix between macadamia and Brazil nuts. They are super high in Vitamin E (a beauty nutrient, according to David Wolfe), and have the highest magnesium content of any nut. They are creamy and lovely. Highly recommended!

This is Vegansaurus raw correspondent Sarah E. Brown’s latest post! Read more by Sarah on Vegansaurus, and visit her personal blog, Queer Vegan Food.

It’s Paul Shapiro’s Animal News You Can Use! Yay!

Reuters has a good piece on HSUS’s new FTC complaint against the National Pork Producers Council for its grossly misleading claims related to animal welfare in the industry.

Speaking of misleading, you may be amused to see the enormous shifting that Kreider Farms (the battery egg producer HSUS recently investigated) is doing.

And speaking of investigations, a new investigation in Britain reveals horrific cruelty toward pigs at one of the biggest pork suppliers to the country’s supermarkets.

And finally, breaking news: Study shows red meat can takes years off a cow’s life.

Today’s video of the week was suggested by my friend Zoe Weil, and it is seriously amazing. If you were afraid you’d go to your grave before seeing a dog double-dutching, your fear is now over.

[Can’t see the video? Watch it on Vegansaurus.com!]