Recipe Category Archives: Vegan Recipes

Hummus Recipe. All Variations

Hummus comes in pint containers in the supermarket.

Ooooops. Just kidding! But that’s how ubiquitous commercial hummus has become—a marked improvement over many other mediocre commercial offerings, but commercial nonetheless.

But wait till you see how simple it is, and how many hats it wears! There are so many exciting variations you can make throwing in small leftover portions of some interesting ingredients.

It is super healthy, so enjoy:

As a dip or spread, or in a sandwich. My granddaughter Tsofia simply couldn’t be without it! Let me also say, at the risk of appearing somewhat disingenuous, since hummus literally means “chickpeas” in Hebrew and Arabic, that you can substitute cooked tiny lentils (ready in just a few minutes) or canned white beans, and proceed exactly as instructed.

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Vegan Pasta with Swiss Chard and Shiitaki Recipe.

adapted from Levana Cooks using Mushroom Medley Levana Nourishments

 

Vegan Pasta. Gluten-free Pasta

I love to use soba noodles or Brown Rice Noodles for this Vegan pasta dish

My powerhouse vegan pasta main course!

Soba noodles are delightful, low in gluten and high in flavor. And brown rice pasta is totally gluten-free. Both pack in lots of flavor and nutrition, are delicious and a snap to prepare, a most welcome change from the same old same old wheat pasta.

My Pasta with Swiss chard is overlaid with Asian flavors; the lineup of flavors is fabulous, with the Swiss chard, shitaki, ginger and seaweed. Do try your best to get the seaweed, it imparts a funky briny flavor to the dish.

No problem making this pasta with Swiss chard gluten-free, using quinoa or rice pasta; only please watch the pasta cooking time, as gluten-free pasta cooks much more briefly than wheat-based pasta.

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Chilled Pea Soup with Mint Recipe

adapted from Levana Cooks using Garden Vegetable Levana Nourishments

Chilled Pea Soup is a delightful summer soup:

Bright green, vibrant and deeply flavored.

We are not paying enough attention to the possibilities of Fresh-Pea Soup, or to fresh peas for that matter. Often, fresh peas are demurely located on one side of our plate and generically called a side dish. In my chilled Pea Soup, the Fresh Peas are front and center, and responsible for the vibrant color and sweet and fresh flavor of this soup. Now, my Fresh Pea Soup vindicates the humble pea. I guarantee it!

Don’t get me wrong: I do love split pea soup: Take a look at my Moroccan Split Pea Soup! But my Chilled Pea Soup uses fresh peas, so you end up with a much less starchy soup. It’s ideal when you are looking, as I always am, for lower carb options. Also, it is totally natural and vegetarian.

I love to use frozen peas:

They are always there for you and every bit as delicious and nutritious as fresh peas.

Sometimes fresh loose (shelled) fresh peas are available and affordable, so go for them.

Although what I originally had in mind when I developed my fresh pea soup was a chilled soup, I can see no reason not to serve it hot as well. In this case, add the yogurt in each bowl as a garnish (do not cook it).

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Herb Cauliflower Salad

adapted from Levana Cooks using Garden Vegetable Levana Nourishments

herb cauliflower

Cauliflower salad makes regular appearances at our table!

There seems to be nothing you can’t do with it: Grind it with the right seasonings, and you get a Pizza crust; Throw in a handful frozen cauliflower with your other smoothie ingredients and it’s a leaner and no delicious smoothie; Throw it in a frittata; make a fantastic soup; make roasted cauliflower pasta. OK, there’s a lot more but you get the idea!

Is Cauliflower the new grain?

It seems perfectly suited to play the role of the grain in many dishes where we would rather not have too much starch.

Cauliflower is the “new” foodie darling:

Ideally nutritious, delicious and lean, and no carbs. Once considered boring but somewhat compulsory food, now it finds its way in no end of exciting dishes!

My herb cauliflower salad here is inspired from its cousin: Tabouleh.

But instead of starring wheat or quinoa, it stars the humble cauliflower.

You will be amazed at how many delicious ways to serve it you will enjoy: Scroll down for variations!

Give your Food Processor all your chopping and mincing!

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Muffins. All Variations Including Cake

Muffins! You say cupcakes, I say muffins!

Gosh, I would hate to lose my popularity with the junior cupcake crowd, but many years of catering kids’ parties and watching their delighted faces as their lick their fingers put my fears at rest. This Muffin recipe is going to be your best friend. Your children will love me!

As if that was not enough, my granddaughter Musia recently described to me a birthday party she went to and said to me “The only thing I didn’t like is I had to wipe off all those blue and green and red creams off the tops of the cupcakes. Bubbie, why do they need it?” Yes, why indeed?

I make muffins, and make them festive in countless ways!

The festive part is not expressed in extra sugar or fat, or added  colorings. To name just a few examples: I make mini muffins; I use multicolored muffin liners; I sprinkle them with miniature chocolate chips, grated coconut, grated apple, blueberries or chopped nuts; I stick cute flags and candles into them at display time. However, if you absolutely must, top the muffins (excuse me, the cupcakes) with icing or frosting or whatever, I trust you will find recipes for that everywhere. But I sincerely hope you don’t…..

As always, I am starting with the simplest preparations.

This is my master muffin recipe, complete with all variations. You will be amazed at all the possibilities, all equally easy, delicious and nutritious. Mix and match, and get different results each time. You will never ever eat a store-bought muffin again, let alone a muffin mix: I am not even going there! This recipe makes a dozen and a half medium muffins, in less than ten minutes’ preparation time.

All these muffin batters are mixed by hand, no need for a mixer.

My muffins are all gluten-free-friendly.

Just one useful piece of advice: When adapting these recipes to gluten-free, always make muffins out of them, not larger cakes because the smaller the gluten-free item, the more manageable, and the less room for flopping and crumbling.

Scroll down for all my muffins variations, including cake!

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