Vegan Guacamole Recipe

This is so easy to make, and super DELICIOUS!  You must try this!


Ingredients:
3 avocados
2 tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. chipotle pepper
2 tsp. minced onion
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. sea salt


Directions:
Cut all three avocados in half, remove the pit, and scoop them out into a mixing bowl.  Using a potato masher, or electric hand masher, blend the avocado evenly.  Add the black pepper, sea salt, chipotle pepper, onion, and minced garlic, then mix.  Dice the tomatoes, and set aside.  Add the lemon juice to the avocado mixture.  Fold in the diced tomatoes.  Enjoy!


Note:
If this is too spicy, use less chipotle pepper.  Also, feel free to add different spices.  Go ahead, experiment!  Be sure to let us know your favorite blend!

Vegan Ginger-Leek Saute Recap

This is a delicious combination of flavors!


Ingredients:
Tamari Soy Sauce
Alfalfa, Clover, and Radish Sprouts (or your sprouts of choice)
Tree Oyster Mushrooms
2 Cups Cooked Brown rice
Ginger Root
3 Leeks
1 Bunch Red Chard


Directions:
Peel a 2 inch piece of ginger with a spoon and set aside.  Cut the ends off the leeks, then coarsely chop the white parts.  Chop the chard and mushrooms into bite size pieces.  Pour a couple tablespoons of canola oil (or your oil of choice) in a skillet and heat over medium high heat.  Once the pan is hot enough, add the leeks and saute until they are tender (a couple of minutes).  Add the red chard and 1 cup of water in order to cook it, then cover the pan.  Once the water is gone, add the mushrooms and the brown rice to the pan, and mix well.  Add the sprouts to the pan.  Add the tamari to taste, starting with 2 tbsp.  Next, add the ginger juice and mix well.  Serve immediately and enjoy!


Note:
This is a great recipe to use when trying to clear out your fridge.  Just throw in any veggies you need to use up, and enjoy the delicious combination of the tamari and ginger!

Fun at the Farm Sanctuary Hoe Down!

Back in June, we headed up to Orland, CA to volunteer at the annual Farm Sanctuary Country Hoe Down for the first time!  We’d heard a lot of good things about this event, which is packed with great speakers and demos--not to mention fantastic vegan food and dancing under the stars!

This year’s event was particularly meaningful because it marks Farm Sanctuary’s 25th Anniversary, and we were honored to celebrate the occasion with founder Gene Baur and his legendary VW van.  As the legend goes, he used to sell vegan hot dogs from the van at Grateful Dead concerts, and it was also an emergency transport vehicle for the very first Farm Sanctuary rescue, Hilda the sheep.

Volunteering did have its perks, such as getting to spend time with Madeline, the most precious baby goat we’d ever seen, and getting to sample delicious food--we’re huge fans of Berkeley’s Cinnaholic!

The first day was cloudy and rainy, but the second day, the sun broke through the clouds and made for an amazing last day.  We were also very lucky to meet one of our vegan heroes, Robert Cheeke, the world-famous vegan bodybuilder!

Here's our highlights from the weekend:

Vegan Jackfruit Espasol Recap

This is a delicious Filipino treat, perfect for a special occasion!


Ingredients:
1/2 can diced jackfruit
13.5 fl oz can coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar
1 lb rice flour


Directions:
Heat the flour on high heat.  You want to lightly brown the flour.  Stir occasionally so the flour browns evenly.  Once it is a light brown color, sift the flour into a bowl.  Be careful, because the flour is very hot.  Set the flour aside.  Pour the coconut milk into a pot, and bring to a boil over high heat.  Add the sugar to the pot, and stir until the sugar dissolves.  Add the jackfruit to the pot and mix evenly.  When this starts to boil, turn the heat off.  Add the flour mixture to the pot (leaving a small amount to use when kneading the dough).  Stir these together to form the dough.  Sprinkle some flour on your kneading surface, then pour the dough out (being careful as the dough is extremely hot).  Carefully knead the dough, using a rolling pin to help if needed.  Once done kneading, roll out the dough until it is about 1/4 inch thick.  Cut the espasol into your desired shape.  Toss each piece into the extra flour, so that it doesn't stick to itself when you plate it.


Note:
Try using more jackfruit, different fruit altogether, or a combination of fruit in this recipe.  Also, try making this recipe with agave syrup or maple syrup instead of sugar.  Have fun with it!