Recipes
QUINOA CON HABICHUELAS Y VERDURAS | V/GF
(QUINOA WITH BEANS & VEGETABLES)
Did you know quinoa is native to Peru & Bolivia? This dish is reminiscent of the rice & beans I grew up eating, but a bit less colonized. Utilize those spices & forgotten produce lying around. It's tasty, simple, and like a vegan quinoa paella!
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups quinoa, rinsed thoroughly & drained
• 2 tsp JONAJIM Adobo
• 2 tsp JONAJIM Sazon
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup sofrito
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 3 1/2 cups broth (if using water, add your favorite spices)
• 1 can of beans (rinsed & drained) or 2 cups cooked beans
• fresh & sauteed veggies (onion, peppers, tomato, avocado, cucumber, broccoli, etc.)
• fresh herbs (cilantro, oregano, etc.)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. In a large, dry skillet or pot, begin toasting the quinoa over medium-low heat. Stirring frequently, toast the quinoa until fragrant & lightly golden - about 5 min. Add the adobo, sazon & smoked paprika and toast a minute longer.
2. Make a well in the middle of the pan and add the olive oil, sofrito & tomato paste. Cook briefly before stirring everything together, then add the broth & combine. Bring to a boil, then cover & simmer over low heat until cooked tender -about 15-20 min. Now let's prep your veggies & herbs.
3. While the quinoa is cooking, chop & prepare your veggies of choice. Set aside the fresh ones and saute the others with a bit of oil & spices if you like.
4. Once the quinoa is ready, check for doneness & mix in the beans. Adjust seasonings to taste, and top with the fresh & sauteed veggies & herbs. Store leftovers in the refrigerator & enjoy hot or cold!
CREAMY CASHEW CHEESECAKE | V/GF/RAW
I'd say this is one of the easiest desserts to make that give off a "I spent many nights working on this" vibe. Perfect for special occasions, this creamy cashew cheesecake is rich & tangy just like the original. The toasted coconut & melted butter in the crust imparts a distinct buttery/baked flavor missing from most raw vegan cheesecakes. Don't shy away from the shiro miso, it sets this cheesecake apart from others by providing a bit of salt & tang reminiscent of cow's milk cream cheese. You can customize this recipe (which I encourage) by adding or tweaking the ingredients, so use this recipe as a guide to your own imagination. I've made blackberry & dark chocolate, lemon & lavender, raspberry, cookies & cream, and key lime cheesecake using this base recipe!
CRUST INGREDIENTS
• 3/4 cup almonds
• 8-12 medjool dates, pitted
• 1/4 cup dried coconut
• 2 tsp vegan butter or coconut oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch sea salt
• 1 tsp vanilla
FILLING INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups raw cashews
• 1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
• 1/3 cup hunny, agave or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 2 tbsp vegan butter
• 1-2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1-3 tsp shiro/white miso
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 pinch sea salt
TOPPING IDEAS
• JONAJIM jam (My personal favorites are Raspberry Jam, Blueberry Lavender Jam, Salted Pear Caramel Sauce, Rhubarb Preserves, Mango Lime Butter)
• fresh fruit, flowers, nuts
• melted chocolate, cookies, whipped cream
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cover the cashews with boiling water in a bowl or cup, and store overnight in the refrigerator to soak.
2. The next day, drain cashews & rinse. Toast the dried coconut & almonds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until coconut is lightly golden
3. In a food processor or with a knife, chop & combine all the crust ingredients until mostly processed and to your liking. I prefer a few coarse nuts and coconut. The mix should come together when pressed. If it’s too dry add medjool dates or water; if it’s too wet add almonds or coconut. Press into a lined & greased 6” springform pan. Set aside.
4. Combine all filling ingredients in a blender & emulsify starting on low, gradually increasing the speed until smooth & creamy (about 1 minute in a Vitamix). Pour over the crust in the lined springform pan. Tap on counter to remove some air bubbles. Freeze until set (usually in a couple of hours or overnight).
5. A few hours before you're ready to serve, remove the frozen cheesecake from the mold. It should release easily from the pan, but you may need to warm the outside of the pan with your hands, warm water or a torch. Place on a plate and garnish with toppings of choice, then place in the refrigerator to defrost for a few hours ~ you can check with a toothpick inserted inserted into the center. Keep in the refrigerator or freezer until finished! Enjoy!
LINZER COOKIES | V/GF
Light, crisp & buttery with just a touch of sweetness ~ these linzer cookies are the perfect way to sample a variety of jams! My love for linzer cookies grew from my Mom's baking as a child. My recipe is vegan & gluten-free, but always reminiscent of the original! The next day, the cookies absorb a little jam for a melt-in-your-mouth experience --this is my favorite!
INGREDIENTS
• 1 1/3 cups gluten-free flour blend (King Arthur Flour)
• 2/3 cup almond flour
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 cup plant butter
• 1/2 cup cane sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• powdered sugar, as needed
• jam, as needed (raspberry jam, mango lime butter, blueberry lavender compote pictured above)
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Add flour, cornstarch, almond flour and salt to a medium bowl, and whisk to combine. Set aside.
2. Combine butter and granulated sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Cream the butter & sugar on medium-high speed until light & fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add vanilla and beat on medium speed until well combined, scraping the bowl as needed.
3. Add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and beat on low speed until combined. Scrape the bowl and fold a few times to make sure everything is well combined. Wrap dough in plastic wrap, flatten into a disk, and chill until firm, at least 1 hour, and up to 3 days.
4. Place oven racks in lower-middle & upper-middle of oven, then preheat to 350 degrees. On a flour-dusted parchment paper (especially helpful for dough in warmer environments), roll shortbread 1/4” thin. Don’t worry about using a lot of flour, you can dust off excess later after they’re chilled. Cut out cookies with a 2” round cutter and knead together the scraps to make a few more. If your dough is soft, just pop into the fridge or freezer until firm, and cut the cookies out. Chill the cookies on a baking sheet in the freezer until very firm, at least 10 minutes. Dust off the excess flour if needed, then cut out a small hole from half of the cookies using a smaller cookie cutter.
5. Bake until cookies just start to turn light-golden on the edges and golden-brown underneath (about 12-18 min.), rotating the pan halfway through the baking time.
6. Let the cookies cool for a few minutes on the baking sheets, and transfer to a wire rack placed over a baking sheet. Allow to cool. Sprinkle the cut-out cookies with powdered sugar, then pick up a solid cookie and gently spread a spoon of jam on the bottom side (up to 1 tbsp of jam). Gently top with a cut-out cookie. Repeat until all the cookies are sandwiched. Cookies will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few days, longer if refrigerated. Enjoy!
TRIPLE CHOCOLATE CAKE | V/GF
One of my favorite childhood memories is packing the car up before sunrise & going to the beach. We would arrive early, and try and make it to the big shady tree to set up camp. It became a game of sorts, getting the table ready with a tablecloth, boombox & Entenmann's Devil's Food Cake -which was always my favorite!
I made this cake in honor of that nostalgic ritual. It's a richer, darker celebration of chocolate, made with whole & cleaner vegan & gluten-free ingredients. Choose from cupcakes, a double-layer cake, or sheet cake and enjoy with your favorite jam, caramel, glaze or frosting!
INGREDIENTS
• 2 cups gluten-free flour blend (King Arthur Flour)
• 1 1/2 cups cane sugar
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 3 tbsp black cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/2 cup yogurt, applesauce or pumpkin puree
• 1/2 cup grapeseed or olive oil
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 1 cup chocolate, finely-chopped or chips
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 350F. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa powders, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, whisk the milk, yogurt, oil, vinegar and vanilla until smooth. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients and whisk until smooth. Follow baking instructions for your pan size below.
2a. Cupcakes: Pour batter into a 2 paper-lined cupcake pans and bake for about 20 min, until a toothpick inserted into the center is clean (melted chocolate is okay, wet/mushy batter is not). Remove and place onto a wire rack to cool for at least 5 min before removing from pan. Cool completely before frosting or eating.
2b. Layer Cake: Line two 9” pans with parchment paper and lightly grease with oil. Pour batter into pans, and bake for about 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center is clean (melted chocolate is okay, wet/mushy batter is not). Remove and cool for 10-15 minutes before removing from pan. Set onto a wire rack to cool completely, then refrigerate until cold before frosting (when cold, the cakes are firmer and easier to handle -especially when stacking layers.)
2c. Sheet Cake: Line a 9”x13” sheet pan with parchment paper and lightly grease with oil. Pour batter into pan and bake for 38-55 minutes or until the cake begins to pull away from the edges of the pan and passes the toothpick test. Err on the side of caution and leave it to bake longer if you feel you need to — gluten-free cakes in larger pans tend to bake unevenly and the center must be fully baked. Once baked, set on a wire rack and cool completely before frosting or serving.