VegeheadTestimonials¶
“OMG! The Chickpea curry is amazing! We cooked it last night. I would say it’s the best curry we have ever made. Very impressed! Honestly it was soooo good! I’m making it weekly.” ~Friend of a friend
“There’s something special about Vegehead. It’s a lot like Alex: healthful and straightforward, yet with lots of depth. I like how it’s well thought out, easy to read and easy to cook! I’ll return to it again and again! My favourites: cabbage salad, red cabbage salad, and fried kumara. Yummo!” ~Jenny Klosser
“Once upon a time I owned dozens of GF DF RSF V cookbooks and would regularly open 50 [web browser] tabs at a time searching for the perfect recipe. I thought I was shit hot at cooking until life graced me with Vegehead. Vegehead has eliminated my mental frazzle associated with cooking and significantly reduced the amount of time spent slaving in the kitchen. Plus, my taste buds and gut are all the better for it! This cookbook is the only tab you need open, ever.” ~Megan Coup
“Darwin’s On the Origins of Species, Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason; there are some influential bodies of work in recent history. In my life, none more so than Vegehead. I’ve yet to encounter a recipe I haven’t enjoyed or been able to easily make, and I like the layout’s refined simplicity —no scrolling through the life story of each ‘Chosen’ ingredient. 5/5” ~Matt McDonald
“Tip #1: Make sure you have a frying pan. Failing that, stop by Alex’s, because there is a whole lot more know-how in that frylet than I have words for. C’est YUM.” ~Evania Natalie-Anne Premadaya Quin Vallyon
“Vegehead couldn’t be more opposite of your typical recipe blog. Instead of falling for pretty pictures that lead you down a rabbit hole of complicated cooking steps with sometimes disappointing results, Vegehead will give you a delicious and healthy tastebud party in no time and with minimal effort. Even better: an increasing amount of vegan recipes! Thanks Alex for this unique collection.” ~Helena Teichrib
“Alex makes good shit. The good shit that Alex makes is here. This is legit food. If I weren’t such a maverick and actually followed recipes, this would be the place for me. If you don’t like legit food, might I recommend a trip to the freezer aisle of your local big box grocery store where you might find something appropriately prosaic?” ~Lewis Thorwaldson
Introduction¶
This is a cookbook and a work in progress. In compiling it, i set the following requirements.
Yummy. The food should taste great.
Fast. The food should take at most 30 minutes to make, excluding trivial preparation, such as soaking legumes overnight to remove their phytic acid. I want to minimize the time it takes to cook a meal to encourage me to cook more meals. Home cooked meals are almost always cheaper and better than other meals. To fulfill this requirement, some of the recipes in this book use a pressure cooker. If you do not have one, then just use a pot and cook for roughly twice as long. I also cheated: some of the recipes, such as the almond rolls, take slightly longer than 30 minutes to make, but those that do are too good to omit.
Vegetarian. The food should not require the killing of animals (humans included). I want to minimize the suffering my meals entail while still eating well, and cooking vegetarian is a step in that direction. Cooking vegan is a bigger step, one that i am not willing to take at present because cheese.
Pre-industrial. The ingredients should be as close as possible to the ones eaten by our pre-industrial ancestors. I do not trust hi-tech food, because it has not yet withstood the test of time. That rules out edible food-like substances (e.g. synthetic flavorings, high-fructose corn syrup, skim milk powder), food grown with synthetic herbicides and pesticides, and even food in cans because of their shady chemical linings. That said, i do get lazy and use cans sometimes.
Cereal-free. The food should not contain cereals (e.g. wheat, rice, corn, oats) nor pseudocereals (e.g. quinoa, amaranth, buckwheat) with the exception of chia seeds, which are less than half carbohydrate by weight. I want to eat a medium-to-low carbohydrate diet these days, because i think that is good for my health, and excluding cereals and pseudocereals from my diet is one simple way to do that. Previously i labeled this requirement “grain-free”, but then learned that legumes are grains. No no beans! A more direct requirement would be setting a limit on a recipe’s percentage of carbohydrate, but that is too fiddly for me. Also, minimizing sugar seems more important than minimizing carbohydrate, but i still include sweet recipes here, because i find them too hard to resist.
In this book, i use metric units, such as liter, kilograms, and Celcius with their standard abbreviations and the following abbreviations:
c = cup (250 mL), T = tablespoon (15 mL), t = teaspoon (5 mL).
I also fan bake (with a convection oven). If you are using a conventional oven instead, then raise the temperatures listed here by about 10 °C and increase the cooking time by about 25%.
This cookbook is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). Enjoy and share!
Feedback¶
Questions? Constructive comments? New recipes? Email me at alex@raichev.net.
Donations to the cause? I will not refuse. Send bank credit to Kiwibank account 38-9009-0530201-06 (Kiwibank Limited, Level 9, 20 Customhouse Quay, Wellington, 6011, New Zealand; SWIFT code KIWINZ22) and Ethereum to wallet 0xF2c854886ea636B8F8E30B87b9afDCFA28B5B243. Cheers!
Savory Recipes¶
African Peanut Stew¶
Ingredients¶
1 T olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T fresh ginger, grated
400 mL chopped tomatoes
800 mL vegetable broth
400 g kumara, cubed to side length ~25 mm
½ c crunchy peanut butter
4 c chopped collard greens, or any brassica leaves
1 t ground cumin
½ t chili flakes
salt to taste
some chopped coriander leaf and vinegary hot sauce for toppings
Directions¶
In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat, then sauté the onion and garlic until the onion becomes soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the remaining ingredients, except for the garnish, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until the kumara is soft, about 10 minutes.
Garnish and serve.
Aioli¶
This recipe is vegan even.
Ingredients¶
½ c soy milk
1 T apple vinegar
3 cloves garlic
1 T whole grain mustard
½ t salt
2 c light olive oil, at room temperature
½–1 c water, at room temperature
Directions¶
With a blender or whatever, blend all the ingredients, except for the oil and water
While blending, slowly add the oil, then blend in the water at the end until the desired consistency is reached
Almond Rolls¶
Finally, a delicious low-carbohydrate vector for cheese!
Ingredients¶
150 g or 1½ c almond flour or ground almonds
45 g or ½ c psyllium husk
10 g or 1 T baking powder
5g or 1 t salt
60 mL or ¼ c olive oil or butter
4 eggs, beaten
100 g or ½ c sour cream or kefir
100 g seeds, such as sesame or sunflower
Directions¶
Combine all the ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes, so the psyllium husk absorbs much of the liquid.
Preheat a convection oven to 170 °C.
Shape the mix into rolls, place on a greased or parchment-papered baking tray, and fan bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Almost Minestrone¶
I say almost, because it lacks pasta or rice.
Ingredients¶
3 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 100 mm strip kombu, diced; scissors help here
1 bay leaf
1 t oregano leaf dried
1 t basil leaf dried
1 t marjoram leaf dried
1 t fennel seed
1 t chili flakes
400 g diced tomatoes
1600 mL water
2 c assorted dried beans (but not chickpeas, because they take too long to cook compared to other beans), soaked for at least 4 hours
1 large carrot, diced
2 c greens, such as kale
1 t salt or to taste
Directions¶
In a pressure cooker, heat 1 T olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until golden.
Add in everything else except the salt, and pressure cook at high pressure for however long the slowest cooking bean needs, e.g. 14 minutes for a kidney bean + lentils combination.
Add the remaining olive oil and salt and serve.
Bengali Five Spice¶
Ingredients¶
1 part black mustard seeds
1 part cumin seeds
1 part fennel seeds
1 part fenugreek seeds
1 part nigella seeds
Instructions¶
Fry the spices in oil, e.g. coconut oil, until they become fragrant and pop.
Sprinkle over anything savory, such as, broccoli, cauliflower, roasted potatoes, or lentils.
Broccoli Soup¶
Ingredients¶
2 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 c water
1 potato, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
2 t Italian seasoning (equal parts oregano, basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, all dried)
1 head broccoli, chopped into florets
2 c chopped kale or spinach
400 g cooked cannellini beans
⅔ c cream or cashew cream
1 t salt or to taste
Directions¶
Heat the oil in the soup pot and sauté the onion until translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the water, potato, garlic, and Italian seasoning, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, and simmer covered until the potatoes are soft, about 10 minutes.
Add the broccoli and kale, and continue to cook covered until the broccoli is soft, about 5 minutes.
Add the beans, cream, and salt, and cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, immersion blend till homogeneous, and serve.
Chana Dal¶
Ingredients¶
1½ c dried chana dal or yellow split peas, washed and soaked for at least 1 hour
5 c water
1 t ground turmeric
3 thin slices unpeeled ginger
½ t garam masala
4 T ghee
2 onions chopped
1 t cumin seeds
3 cloves garlic chopped
1 t red chili powder
some coriander leaf for garnish
Directions¶
Put the chana dal, water, turmeric, ginger, and 1 T ghee into a pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.
In a skillet, fry the reserved ghee and onions until golden. Then add the cumin seeds and garlic and stir fry until the garlic is lightly brown.
Add the fried stuff and chili powder to the cooked soup, garnish with coriander leaf, and serve.
Chili¶
Ingredients¶
3 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 green capsicum, diced
2 jalapeños, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 t oregano leaf dried
1 t basil leaf dried
1 t cumin seed
1 t smoked paprika
½ t ground turmeric
1 t ground coriander seed
¼ t cinnamon
800 mL chopped tomatoes
800 mL water
2 c assorted dried beans (but not chickpeas, because they take too long to cook compared to other beans), soaked for at least 4 hours
½ kumara, diced
2 c greens such as kale
1 t salt or to taste
some coriander leaf for garnish
Directions¶
In a pressure cooker, heat 1 T olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic, capsicum, and chilis until golden.
Add in everything else except the salt and coriander, and pressure cook at high pressure for however long the slowest cooking bean needs, e.g. 14 minutes for a kidney bean + pinto bean + mung bean combination.
Add the remaining olive oil, salt, and coriander, and serve.
Fried Kumara¶
Ingredients¶
1 large kumara, cut into 5mm-thick slices
2 T coconut oil
⅛ t ground cinnamon
salt to taste
3 T hulled tahini
Directions¶
Heat the large skillet with the coconut oil over medium heat and fry the kumara covered for 7 minutes or until lightly browned on one side.
Flip the kumara and fry uncovered for 4 minutes or until lightly browned on the other side.
Sprinkle on the cinnamon and salt, transfer to dishes, and top with tahini.
Frylet¶
I have been eating this dish for breakfast with a salad for years, and i still have not tired of it.
Ingredients¶
¼ c onion, julienned
1 T butter
½ t chili flakes
2 eggs
some cheese, thinly sliced or grated
2 t fresh turmeric, grated, or ¼ t dried ground turmeric
dash salt and pepper to taste
Directions¶
Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 t butter, and sauté the onion covered until golden brown.
Push the onion to the skillet’s perimeter, add the rest of the butter, and crack the eggs into the skillet.
Top the eggs with the chili, cheese, and turmeric.
Fry until the bottom is crispy but the yolks still runny.
Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and serve.
Hummus¶
This is most easily prepared with a food processor, but you can also use simple implements such as a whisk, mortar, and pestle.
Ingredients¶
3 c cooked chickpeas (about two 400 mL cans worth), however you can manage it
½ c tahini
¼ c lemon juice
¼ c olive oil
1 t salt
2 cloves garlic
1 t cumin
a little water or chickpea liquid for thinning
Directions¶
In a food processor or with a bowl and whisk, whip the tahini and lemon juice.
Add the remaining ingredients, blend, and thin to your desired consistency with the water or chickpea liquid.
Italian Lentil Soup¶
This one comes from Lorna Sass.
Ingredients¶
6 c water
2 c brown lentils, rinsed
2 T olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
4 ribs celery, cut into 2cm slices
2 large carrots, chopped
125 g mushrooms, sliced
2 bay leaves
1 t dried thyme or marjoram
¾ t dried oregano
¼ t dried chili flakes
3 T tomato paste or 2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 T balsamic vinegar
1 t salt or to taste
some parsley for garnish
Directions¶
Put everything except the tomato paste, vinegar, and salt in a pressure cooker, and pressure cook everything at high pressure for 11 minutes.
Remove the bay leaves, add the vinegar and salt, dissolve the tomato paste in a cup of soup, and stir the cup back into the soup. Garnish with parsley and serve.
Krishna’s Curry¶
This is the spiciest (highest spice count) dish i have ever cooked. It is also my favorite Hare Krishna recipe.
Ingredients¶
1 T coconut oil
½ t ground cinnamon
1 T fennel seed
⅛ c curry leaf
1½ t asafetida
400 mL coconut cream
400 mL chopped tomato
½ kumara, diced
1½ t ground fennel seed
2 t ground coriander seed
2 t ground fenugreek
1½ t ground turmeric
½ t chili powder
¾ t garam masala
1 T channa masala
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 t tamarind concentrate
3 c cooked chickpeas (about two 400 mL cans worth), however you can manage it
1 t salt or to taste
some chopped coriander leaf for topping
Directions¶
In a large saucepan, heat the coconut oil and sauté the cinnamon, unground fennel seed, curry leaf, and asafetida until fragrant.
Add the coconut cream, chopped tomato, and kumara, and bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to simmer and add the remaining spices.
Cook for 5 minutes, add the broccoli, and cook for 8 more minutes, or until the kumara is tender.
Mix in the tamarind concentrate, cooked chickpeas, salt, and maybe some water to thin the curry.
Top with coriander leaf and serve.
Krishna’s Salad¶
My second favorite Hare Krishna recipe.
Ingredients¶
1 medium head cabbage (about 1.5 kg), thinly sliced
1 apple, grated
200 g roasted and salted peanuts
½ c desiccated coconut
¼ c lemon juice
¼ c chopped coriander
¼ c coconut oil
2 t black mustard seed
2 t cumin seed
2 t asafetida
½ t turmeric
Directions¶
In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, apple, peanuts, coconut, lemon juice, and coriander.
In a small sauce pan, heat the oil and fry the spices until fragrant.
Mix everything together and serve.
Mashed Kumara¶
Ingredients¶
1 c water
1 kg kumara, cut into 1 cm cubes
2 T coconut oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
2 t allspice
salt to taste
Directions¶
In a medium saucepan with a steamer basket, boil the water and then steam the kumara (with the lid covered) for about 10 minutes, or until soft.
Meanwhile, in a small skillet, fry the onion in the coconut oil.
Mix the steamed kumara, fried onion, allspice, and salt, and mash.
Masoor Dal with Kumara¶
Ingredients¶
2 T coconut oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 thumb-sized piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 chilli, finely chopped
1½ t ground turmeric
1½ t ground cumin
8 curry leaves
3 c vegetable stock
400 g kumara, cubed to side length ~25 mm
1 c red split lentils, rinsed
½ c chopped spinach
salt to taste
4 spring onions, sliced, for garnish
Directions¶
Cook the onion in the coconut oil over medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes.
Add the garlic, ginger, chili, turmeric, and cumin and cook for 30 seconds.
Add the vegetable stock, curry leaves, kumara, and lentils, cover, and bring to boil over high heat.
Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the lentils and kumara are tender.
Mix in the spinach and cook for 1 minute.
Add the salt and serve with spring onion garnish.
Moroccan Chili¶
This one comes from Lorna Sass.
Ingredients¶
1 orange juiced
12 cloves
2 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 medium onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
2 medium leeks, cleaned and chopped
1 c mushrooms, coarsely chopped
2 large carrots, coarsely chopped
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 large red capsicum, seeded and diced
½ c raisins
2 c chopped tomatoes
1½ c brown lentils, picked over and rinsed
3 c vegetable stock or water
2 t ground coriander seeds
2 5-cm cinnamon sticks broken in half
salt and pepper to taste
Directions¶
In a pressure cooker, heat the olive oil and sauté the garlic, onions, and leeks until the leeks begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, carrots, celery, and capsicum, and cook another minute over medium-high heat, stirring frequently.
Add in the rest of the ingredients.
Bring to high pressure and cook there for 11 minutes.
Add salt and pepper and serve.
Mung Dal¶
Ingredients¶
1½ c dried mung beans, soaked for at least 4 hours
5 c water
2 T coconut oil
400 mL chopped tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 T shredded ginger
1 t ground turmeric
1 hot chili
1 red capsicum, chopped
1 t salt
1 t cumin seeds
2 t black mustard seeds
some coriander leaf for garnish
Directions¶
Reserve 1 T coconut oil, the cumin seeds, mustard seeds, and salt. Put everything else into a pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for 11 minutes.
In a small saucepan, fry the reserved coconut oil, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds until the mustard seeds begin to pop.
Add the fried seed mix and the salt to the soup, garnish with coriander leaf, and serve.
Pesto¶
This recipe goes to show that you can still make a tasty pesto without parmesan and pine nuts.
Ingredients¶
2 c basil
4 kale leaves
2 c raw cashews
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 T nutritional yeast
1 c olive oil
¼ c lemon juice
½ t salt
Directions¶
Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until smooth or chop and mash them with a mortar and pestle.
Pumpkin Curry¶
Ingredients¶
1 T coconut oil
1 onion, peeled and coarsley chopped
2 c pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 cm chunks
2 t ginger, grated
2 t curry powder
½ t ground turmeric
½ t ground cumin
½ t ground cinnamon
½ t chili powder
400 mL coconut cream
400 mL chopped tomatoes
250 g paneer, cubed
2 c spinach
1 t salt or to taste
1 T lemon juice
1 bunch coriander, chopped
Directions¶
Steam the pumpkin until soft, about 10 minutes.
In the meantime in a medium pot, cook the onion in the coconut oil over medium-high heat until golden brown.
Add to the onions the remaining ingredients, except for the pumpkin, lemon juice, and coriander, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Mix in the pumpkin and lemon juice and serve garnished with coriander.
Variations¶
Substitute firm tofu for the paneer for a less-tasty vegan version.
Red Cabbage Salad¶
Ingredients¶
1 medium head red cabbage (about 1.5 kg), grated
1 t salt
1 t caraway seeds
1 apple, grated
⅔ c balsamic vinegar
2 T olive oil
Directions¶
In a big bowl, combine the cabbage, salt, and caraway seeds in a large mixing bowl, and thoroughly squeeze the mixture for several minutes to soften the cabbage and release its juice.
Mix in the rest of the Ingredients.
If you have the time, chill the salad for several hours before serving.
Sauerkraut¶
With a preparation time of 20 minutes and a fermentation time of 4–10 days, this recipe is arguably breaking this book’s 30-minute rule, but hey, i write the book, and i like sauerkraut, especially the homemade stuff, which tastes much better than the heat-treated (dead) kraut found on grocery store shelves, so this recipe stands.
Ingredients¶
1000 g green or red cabbage at room temperature
1 T salt
½ t caraway seeds
½ t juniper berries
enough water to submerge the cabbage
Instructions¶
Clean your hands, bowl, container, plate, and rock, so you do not introduce too much bad bacteria.
Cut the cabbage into narrow ribbons and put it in a large bowl.
Add the salt and spices and knead the mix for 5 minutes to release lots of cabbage juice. This is a good workout for your hands.
Transfer the mix, solids and liquids, to a 2-liter container, pressing down well, and cover it with the plate. Add enough water to cover the plate, because the cabbage needs anaerobic conditions to ferment. Place the rock on top to hold the plate and cabbage under water during fermentation.
Water-seal the container and store it at room temperature for 4–10 days until it has reached your desired level of sourness.
Remove the rock, plate, and any surface yeasts and molds that grew (from oxygen exposure), then transfer the sauerkraut to another container. The kraut is now ready to eat. Store it in the fridge where it will keep for several months.
Notes¶
The water seal prevents air from entering your container while allowing the carbon dioxide produced during fermentation to escape, so your container does not explode. You can make a water-sealed container by taking a food-safe plastic bucket, drilling a hole in its lid, and fitting a water seal (air-lock) into the hole. You can buy a water seal for cheap from a brewing shop.
Alternatively, you can ferment in an air-tight container without a water seal if you release the carbon dioxide daily.
Variations¶
Replace up to half of the cabbage with other vegetables, such as carrot, daikon, or cooked potato.
Socca Dosa¶
These are chickpea pancakes with Indian flavors.
Ingredients¶
1 c chickpea flour
1 c water
4 T sunflower oil, split in half for mixing and frying
½ t salt
½ red onion, finely diced
½ t coriander powder
¼ t turmeric powder
1 T coriander leaf, finely diced
Directions¶
Put the chickpea flour in a mixing bowl and with a spoon, fork, or whisk, slowly mix in the water so no clumps form.
Mix in the remaining ingredients, using only 2 T olive oil, and let stand for 15 minutes so the flour soaks up lots of liquid.
During the last few minutes of the standing time, heat a fry pan and ½ T olive oil over medium heat.
Ladle one quarter of the batter into the fry pan, and cook each side for about 4 minutes, or until golden brown on both sides.
Repeat with the remaining batter.
Serve plain or topped with whatever. I like blue cheese on mine.
Variation¶
Remove the red onion, coriander (powder and leaf), and turmeric for plain French socca.
Spanish Beans¶
Ingredients¶
6 T olive oil
2 T tomato paste
1 medium clove garlic, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 medium shallot, minced (about 1/4 cup); substitute yellow onion
½ t mild smoked paprika
2 stalks celery, peeled and sliced diagonally into 6mm-wide slices
400 mL large cooked beans such as gigantes, giant lima beans, giant white beans, or butter beans (drained)
2 T sherry vinegar; substitute rice wine vinegar
¼ c minced fresh parsley leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Directions¶
Combine 2 T olive oil, the tomato paste, garlic, and shallot in a medium fry pan and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until fragrant and starting to bubble gently, about 2 minutes.
Stir in smoked paprika and cook for 30 seconds.
Add celery, drained beans, vinegar, and remaining olive oil. Cook until warmed through.
Stir in parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.
Tarator¶
This is a Bulgarian recipe from my mother.
Ingredients¶
1 L yoghurt
3 c water
1 T balsamic vinegar
1 t salt
1 t olive oil
1 large cucumber, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ c walnuts, chopped
½ c fresh dilled, chopped
Directions¶
In a big bowl, mix the yoghurt and water thoroughly.
Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
Chill and serve.
Tempeh Sauerkraut¶
This one comes from Lorna Sass.
Ingredients¶
2 T coconut oil
500 g tempeh, cut into fingers
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 red capsicum, diced
2 cloves garlic, diced
½ t caraway seeds
3 c sauerkraut
¼ c water
¼ c mayonnaise or honey mustard (homemade of course!)
Directions¶
In a large skillet sauté the tempeh in 1 T of oil until golden brown. Set aside.
With the remaining oil, sauté the onion, capsicum, and garlic until lightly browned.
Add the tempeh, sauerkraut, mustard, caraway, and water and continue to cook, stirring continuously, until heated through.
Zucchine alla Scapece¶
Big thanks to my friend Sasha, who told me about this dish while visiting Naples.
Ingredients¶
1 large zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise then crosswise into 1-cm-thick half-discs
1 T olive oil
2 cloves garlic, diced
¼ t chili flakes
2 t apple cider vinegar
2 T fresh mint leaves, diced
salt to taste
Directions¶
Heat the olive oil in the fry pan over high heat, then cook the zucchini till almost golden brown but not mushy.
Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.
Transfer to a bowl, mix in the remaining ingredients, and serve.
Zucchini Fritters¶
Ingredients¶
450 g zucchini, coarsly grated
1 t salt
2 eggs
2 scalions, halved then finely sliced
⅓ c parmesan cheese, grated
1 garlic clove, minced
150 g chickpea flour
1 pinch pepper
4 T sunflower oil for frying in batches
Directions¶
If you have time, optionally drain some water from the grated zucchini in a colander for 10 minutes.
Preheat a fry pan to medium.
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Oil the pan generously, dollop the batter into rounds in the pan, then flatten. Cook them till golden brown on one side, about 5 minutes, flip, then cook till golden brown on the other side, about 3 minutes. Repeat till all the batter is used up.
Serve, preferably with creamy goat cheese and sweet chili sauce.
Sweet Recipes¶
Every vege head has a sweet tooth, probably a rotting molar, and this book is no exception. So here is a section of sweet recipes, all of which conform to the letter of the grain-free law but clearly contradict it’s low-carb spirit. You have been warned.
Apricot Balls¶
Ingredients¶
¾ c raw cashews
¾ c raw almonds
¼ c pitted Medjol dates
1½ c dried apricots
1 dash salt
¼ c shredded coconut
1 T grated orange zest
1½ T grated fresh ginger
Directions¶
In a food processor, blend all the ingredients except the ginger until homogeneous.
Blend in the ginger.
Shape into balls.
Black Bean Brownies¶
Serve with a creamy topping, such as yogurt.
Ingredients¶
2 eggs
400 mL cooked black beans (drained)
¾ c cocoa powder
¼ t salt
1½ t baking powder
¼ c raw sugar
¼ c maple syrup or date syrup
1 t vanilla extract
½ c peanut butter
coconut oil to grease the baking dish
½ c frozen raspberries (optional)
Instructions¶
Preheat a convection oven to 180 °C.
Grease the baking dish with the coconut oil.
Put all the ingredients into a food processor, and blend until smooth.
Pour the mix into the baking dish, smooth it over with a spoon, and garnish with the optional frozen raspberries.
Fan bake until the top is crispy but the inside still fudgey, about 25 minutes.
Notes¶
If you do not have a food processor, you can grind the seeds with a mortar and pestle, then mash the beans with a fork, then mix everything together.
Replace the 2 eggs with 2 T ground flax seeds and 6 T water to make the brownies vegan.
Chia Pudding¶
Ingredients¶
1 c dairy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk etc.
4 T chia seeds
1 T maple syrup
¼ t vanilla extract
¹⁄₁₆ t salt
1 T raisins
¼ t cinnamon
2 t sunflower seeds
Instructions¶
Mix everything together in a glass jar, put a lid on it, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Notes¶
If you want plainer pudding, then leave out the raisins, cinnamon, and sunflower seeds and add 1 T maple syrup (to make 2 T maple syrup) to compensate for the loss of raisins.
If you use a thick coconut milk, then decrease the chia seeds to 3 T.
I wrote “¹⁄₁₆ t salt” instead of “a dash”, say, so you can easily scale up the recipe.
Chocolate¶
Ingredients¶
100 g cocoa butter
80 g cocoa powder
1 t crushed vanilla beans
2 t raw sugar
Directions¶
Finely chop the cocoa butter, reserving one quarter of it for later.
Melt the remaining three quarters of the cocoa butter along with the cocoa powder, vanilla beans, and sugar in a double boiler until it reaches 56°C.
Remove from heat, then set aside one third of the chocolate in a warm place.
Mix into the remaining two thirds the reserved cocoa butter, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 28°C.
Mix in the reserved molten chocolate so that the mix reaches 32°C.
Pour into a chocolate mold, pan, baking paper, something like that.
Let it cool at room temperature until it hardens.
Variations¶
Replace the vanilla with 2 t of diced peppermint leaves
Add ½ t orange zest, ½ t cinnamon, and ½ t ground chili
Notes¶
The heating and cooling to specific temperatures in this recipe tempers the chocolate so that it remains hard at room temperature. Including liquid ingredients can prevent tempering. If the chocolate does not temper, then something went wrong. Try the melting process again with the failed batch.
Almost Chocolate¶
Easier than chocolate, because you do not temper it, but it must be kept cold to prevent melting.
Ingredients¶
50 g cocoa butter
50 g coconut oil
70 g cocoa powder
20 g cocoa nibs
1 t ground vanilla beans
1 t carob powder
1 t honey
Directions¶
Liquify the cocoa butter and coconut oil over medium heat in a double boiler.
Remove from heat and thoroughly mix in the remaining ingredients.
Pour into a chocolate mold, pan, baking paper, something like that.
Chill and store cold.
Variations¶
Add 40 g dried cherries.
Chocolate Pie¶
Is it pie or cake? The debate rages on.
Ingredients¶
2 c almond meal
1 T ground flax seeds
3 T water
3 T coconut oil
½ t salt, divided into two equal parts
1 large banana, sliced into thin disks
250 g dark chocolate (72%-ish)
½ c peanut butter
500 g silken tofu
¼ c maple syrup
Directions¶
Mix with your hands the almond meal, flax seeds, water, coconut oil, and ¼ t salt, and press it into a pie plate with a metal spoon. Optionally fan bake the crust at 200°C until golden brown, about 12 minutes.
Lay the banana slices on the crust.
Melt the chocolate in a double boiler.
In a big bowl, mix the peanut butter, tofu, maple syrup, and ¼ t salt.
Add the chocolate to the mix and stir it into a homogenous goo.
Evenly spread the goo into the crust and chill for an hour.
Granola¶
Ingredients¶
2 c raw unsalted chopped nuts
⅓ c pumpkin seeds
⅓ c sunflower seeds
¼ c almond flour
½ c unsweetened coconut flakes
¾ t ground cinnamon
¼ t salt
1 T butter or coconut oil
¼–⅓ c maple syrup
1 t vanilla extract
Instructions¶
Preheat the oven to 160 °C.
In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients.
In a small bowl or saucepan, mix the butter and maple syrup with heat, then add the vanilla.
Mix the resulting liquid into the dry ingredients.
Line a baking sheet with baking paper and spread the mix onto it evenly.
Fan bake until golden brown, about 10 minutes, and do not burn!
Cool, then break into pieces and store in an airtight container.
Ice Cream, Coconut Chocolate¶
This ice cream is vegan, cost less than half of the dairy versions here, and tastes almost as good.
Ingredients¶
½ c raw sugar, ground
7 T Dutch-processed cocoa powder
¾ t salt or to taste
⅛ t guar gum
800 mL coconut cream (with at least 18% fat)
1 t vanilla extract
1 T Scotch, bourbon, whiskey
Directions¶
In a mixing bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients until well combined, then slowly add the coconut cream, whisking constantly, until a thick, lump-free paste forms. Whisk in the remaining coconut cream and ingredients.
Churn in an ice cream maker and serve soft or chill further in a freezer.
Notes¶
The guar gum prevents the ice cream from freezing too hard.
Ice Cream, Coffee¶
We bend the Vegehead time constraint by cold-brewing the coffee overnight.
Ingredients¶
1½ c cream (~40% milk fat)
1½ c whole milk
5 T medium grind coffee
6 egg yolks
½ c ground raw sugar
¼ t salt or to taste
⅛ t guar gum
Directions¶
Mix the dairy and coffee and refrigerate over night, so the coffee diffuses into the dairy.
In a mixing bowl, mix the guar gum and egg yolks until all lumps are gone.
Pour the coffee mix into the bowl through a fine strainer to filter out the coffee grounds, then mix in the remaining ingredients.
Churn in an ice cream maker and serve soft or chill further in a freezer.
Notes¶
The guar gum prevents the ice cream from freezing too hard.
Variation¶
Custard style, which breaks the Vegehead time constraint!
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook all the ingredients, stirring frequently until the mix reaches 77 °C or until a finger swiped across the back of a spoon leaves a clean line. No, you don’t need to scald the dairy or temper the eggs.
Pour into a bowl through a fine strainer to remove the coffee grounds and any eggy bits.
Chill to 4 °C (refrigerator temperature) in an ice bath or covered in a refrigerator for about 4 hours.
Churn in an ice cream maker and serve soft or chill further in a freezer.
Ice Cream, Raspberry¶
Ingredients¶
2 c cream (~40% milk fat)
350 g mashed raspberries
¼ c ground raw sugar
¼ c corn syrup
¼ t salt or to taste
⅛ t guar gum
Directions¶
In a mixing bowl, mix the guar gum and corn syrup until all lumps are gone.
Mix in the remaining ingredients.
Churn in an ice cream maker and serve soft or chill further in a freezer.
Notes¶
The corn syrup and guar gum prevent the ice cream from getting hard and icy in the freezer.
Ice Cream, Vanilla¶
Ingredients¶
2 c cream (~40% milk fat)
1 c whole milk
5–8 eggs yolks
⅔ c ground muscovado sugar or ½ c ground raw sugar
1½ t vanilla extract
¼ t salt or to taste
⅛ t guar gum
Directions¶
In a mixing bowl, mix the guar gum and vanilla until all lumps are gone.
Mix in the remaining ingredients.
Churn in an ice cream maker and serve soft or chill further in a freezer.
Notes¶
The guar gum prevents the ice cream from freezing too hard.
Variation¶
Custard style, which breaks the Vegehead time constraint!
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the dairy, eggs, and sugar, stirring frequently until the mix reaches 77 °C or until a finger swiped across the back of a spoon leaves a clean line. No, you don’t need to scald the dairy or temper the eggs.
Pour into a bowl through a fine strainer to remove any eggy bits, and mix in the remaining ingredients.
Chill to 4 °C (refrigerator temperature) in an ice bath or covered in a refrigerator for about 4 hours.
Churn in an ice cream maker and serve soft or chill further in a freezer.
Peanut Butter Muffins¶
Ingredients¶
1 c peanut butter
2 large spotty bananas
2 eggs
1½ t maple syrup or honey
¼ t salt
1 t baking powder
1 c berries, such as raspberries
grease for the muffin mold
Directions¶
Preheat the convection oven to 170 °C.
In a big bowl, mix until smooth all the ingredients except the berries.
Gently fold in the berries.
Grease the muffin mold, spoon the batter into it, and fan bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes.
Variations¶
Add ½ c chocolate chips to the mix.
Replace the peanut butter with any nut butter, such as almond butter.
Rhubarb Sauce¶
Ingredients¶
3 ribs rhubarb, leaves removed and finely chopped
1 T water
1 banana, peeled and coarsley chopped
1 t honey
Directions¶
Combine the rhubarb and water in the sauce pan and cook covered on medium-high for 5 minutes.
Add the banana, reduce the heat to medium, and cook covered for 5 more minutes, or until the rhubarb has disintegrated.
Remove from heat, mix in the honey, and serve over yogurt or ice cream.
Bath & Body Recipes¶
Hooray for Baking Soda!¶
Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, is a versatile chemical compound. Besides baking with it, you can use it as part of
Tooth powder: mix three parts baking soda and one part salt and brush your teeth with the stuff
Mouthwash: add baking soda to water and rinse to neutralize mouth acids and kill bacteria
Body deodorant: dampen your armpits with water and apply a little baking soda
Exfoliant: dampen your skin with water and gently rub with baking soda
Cleaner: sprinkle some baking soda on a dirty surface, add your favorite liquid cleaner (water, vinegar, etc.), and rub. Don’t do this on aluminum surfaces, though, as baking soda attacks the thin nonreactive protective oxide layer of this otherwise very reactive metal.
For more uses of baking soda, check out its Wikipedia article.
Body Butter¶
You can use this to protect your cutting board too!
Ingredients¶
20 g beeswax, food grade
80 g coconut oil, virgin
Instructions¶
Put the ingredients in a small glass and melt them over medium heat, e.g. in a double boiler or microwave.
Mix with a spoon, cap, and cool.
Deodorant¶
This stuff smells so good i want to eat it. Nom nom. Bah! Bitter.
Ingredients¶
½ c baking soda
½ c arrowroot powder or corn starch
5 T coconut oil
20 drops of grapefruit essential oil or another essential oil with antibacterial properties
Instructions¶
Mix baking soda and arrowroot together.
Add the coconut oil and essential oil, and mix well.
Pour into glass jar and use by rubbing your fingers around it then rubbing it into your armpits.
Shampoo¶
Ingredients¶
½ c castille soap
10–15 drops of your favorite essential oil of choice, e.g. lavender or rose
Instructions¶
Pour everything into the shampoo bottle with a funnel, shake the bottle, and use.