Testimonials

“OMG! The Chickpea curry is amazing! We cooked it last night. I would say the best curry we have ever made. Very impressed! Honestly it was soooo good! I’m making it a 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

“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

“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

Introduction

This is an open-source 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 enjoy cooking but don’t want to spend a lot of time doing it. To fulfill this requirement, many of the recipes use a pressure cooker. If you don’t 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. I like to minimize the suffering involved in my meals, and going vegetarian is a step in that direction. Going vegan is a bigger step, one that i’m not willing to take at present.

Pre-industrial. The ingredients should be as close as possible to the ones eaten by our pre-industrial ancestors. That rules out 20th-century edible food-like substances (synthetic flavorings, high-fructose corn syrup, skim milk powder, etc.), food grown with synthetic pesticides, and even canned food because of the shady chemical linings used in the cans. I don’t trust that stuff. That said, i do get lazy and use canned tomatoes.

Grain-free. The food should not contain grains: wheat, rice, corn, oats, etc. I’m eating less carbohydrate these days, and cutting out grains is one simple way to do that. I’m cutting back on sugars too, which is the greater devil, but i still include some sweet recipes here, such as ice cream. Mmm, ice cream.

In this book, i use the following abbreviations:

c = cup, T = tablespoon, t = teaspoon.

I also use metric units such as liters, kilograms, and Celsius with their standard abbreviations.

This cookbook is published under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). You can contribute to the book via its Git repository. Enjoy and share!

Savory Recipes

African Peanut Stew

Serves: 5
Equipment: pressure cooker

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

  1. In the pressure cooker, heat the oil, then sauté the onion and garlic until the onion becomes soft and translucent, about 3 minutes.

  2. Add the remaining ingredients, except for the salt and garnish, and cook at high pressure for 7 minutes, or until the kumara is tender.

  3. Salt, top, and serve.

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Aioli

Makes: 3 c
Equipment: food processor, blender, or bowl + whisk

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

  1. With a blender or whatever, blend all the ingredients, except for the oil and water

  2. While blending, slowly add the oil, then blend in the water at the end until the desired consistency is reached

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Almond Rolls

Makes: 9 medium-sized rolls
Equipment: mixing bowl, baking tray with grease or parchment paper

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

  1. Combine all the ingredients and let stand for 10 minutes, so the psyllium husk absorbs much of the liquid.

  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  3. Shape the mix into rolls, place on a greased or parchment-papered baking tray, and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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Cabbage Salad

Serves: 6
Equipment: large bowl, small sauce pan

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

  1. In a large bowl, mix the cabbage, apple, peanuts, coconut, lemon juice, and coriander.

  2. In a small sauce pan, heat the oil and fry the spices until fragrant.

  3. Mix everything together and serve.

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Chana Dal

Serves: 6
Equipment: pressure cooker, skillet

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

  1. Put the chana dal, water, turmeric, ginger, and 1 T ghee into a pressure cooker, and cook at high pressure for 10 minutes.

  2. 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.

  3. Add the fried stuff and chili powder to the cooked soup, garnish with coriander leaf, and serve.

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Chickpea Curry

Serves: 4
Equipment: large sauce pan

This is the spiciest (highest spice count) dish i’ve 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

  1. In a large saucepan, heat the coconut oil and sauté the cinnamon, unground fennel seed, curry leaf, and asafetida until fragrant.

  2. Add the coconut cream, chopped tomato, and kumara, and bring to a boil.

  3. Reduce heat to simmer and add the remaining spices.

  4. Cook for 5 minutes, add the broccoli, and cook for 8 more minutes, or until the kumara is tender.

  5. Mix in the tamarind concentrate, cooked chickpeas, salt, and maybe some water to thin the curry.

  6. Top with coriander leaf and serve.

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Chili

Serves: 6
Equipment: pressure cooker

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

  1. In a pressure cooker, heat 1 T olive oil and sauté the onion, garlic, capsicum, and chilis until golden.

  2. 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.

  3. Add the remaining olive oil, salt, and coriander, and serve.

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Fried Kumara

Serves: 2
Equipment: large skillet with lid

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

  1. 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.

  2. Flip the kumara and fry uncovered for 4 minutes or until lightly browned on the other side.

  3. Sprinkle on the cinnamon and salt, transfer to dishes, and top with tahini.

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Frylet

Serves: 1 person
Equipment: skillet

I’ve been eating this for breakfast with a salad for last five years. You think i’d tire of it, but no!

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

  1. Heat the skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 t butter, and sauté the onion covered until golden brown.

  2. Push the onion to the skillet’s perimeter, add the rest of the butter, and crack the eggs into the skillet.

  3. Top the eggs with the chili, cheese, and turmeric.

  4. Fry until the bottom is crispy but the yolks still runny.

  5. Sprinkle on the salt and pepper and serve.

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Hummus

Serves: 4
Equipment: food processor or bowl + whisk

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

  1. In a food processor or with a bowl and whisk, whip the tahini and lemon juice.

  2. Add the remaining ingredients, blend, and thin to your desired consistency with the water or chickpea liquid.

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Italian Lentil Soup

Serves: 6
Equipment: pressure cooker

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

  1. Put everything except the tomato paste, vinegar, and salt in a pressure cooker, and pressure cook everything at high pressure for 11 minutes.

  2. 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.

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Mashed Kumara

Serves: 4
Equipment: medium saucepan, steamer basket, small skillet

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

  1. 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.

  2. Meanwhile, in a small skillet, fry the onion in the coconut oil.

  3. Mix the steamed kumara, fried onion, allspice, and salt, and mash.

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Masoor Dal with Kumara

Serves: 4
Equipment: large pot

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

  1. Cook the onion in the coconut oil over medium heat until soft, about 2 minutes.

  2. Add the garlic, ginger, chili, turmeric, and cumin and cook for 30 seconds.

  3. Add the vegetable stock, curry leaves, kumara, and lentils, cover, and bring to boil over high heat.

  4. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the lentils and kumara are tender.

  5. Mix in the spinach and cook for 1 minute.

  6. Add the salt and serve with spring onion garnish.

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Almost Minestrone

Serves: 6
Equipment: pressure cooker

I say almost, because there’s no 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

  1. In a pressure cooker, heat 1 T olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until golden.

  2. 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.

  3. Add the remaining olive oil and salt and serve.

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Moroccan Chili

Serves: 6
Equipment: pressure cooker

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

  1. 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.

  2. Add in the rest of the ingredients.

  3. Bring to high pressure and cook there for 11 minutes.

  4. Add salt and pepper and serve.

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Mung Dal

Serves: 6
Equipment: pressure cooker, small saucepan

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

  1. 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.

  2. In a small saucepan, fry the reserved coconut oil, cumin seeds, and mustard seeds until the mustard seeds begin to pop.

  3. Add the fried seed mix and the salt to the soup, garnish with coriander leaf, and serve.

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Pumpkin Curry

Serves: 4
Equipment: steamer, medium pot

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 firm tofu, cubed

  • 2 c spinach

  • 1 t salt or to taste

  • 1 T lemon juice

  • 1 bunch coriander, chopped

Directions

  1. Steam the pumpkin until soft, about 10 minutes.

  2. In the meantime in a medium pot, cook the onion in the coconut oil over medium-high heat until golden brown.

  3. Add to the onions the remaining ingredients, except for the pumpkin, lemon juice, and coriander, bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.

  4. Mix in the pumpkin and lemon juice and serve garnished with coriander.

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Red Cabbage Salad

Serves: 6
Equipment: big bowl

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

  1. 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.

  2. Mix in the rest of the Ingredients.

  3. If you have the time, chill the salad for several hours before serving.

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Schmukomst

This recipe comes straight from a German village in Siberia, er, with a tofu substitution.

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, diced

  • 300g tofu, crumbled

  • 1 medium cabbage (about 1.3 kg), cored and diced

  • 3 T sunflower oil

  • 1 carrot, grated

  • 1 capsicum, diced

  • 7 prunes/apricots, diced, or 1/4 C raisins

  • salt and pepper to taste

Directions

  1. In a fry pan over medium-high heat, fry the onion and tofu in 2 T oil until browned then remove from heat, about 10 minutes.

  2. In the meantime in a big pot over high heat, fry the cabbage in 1 T oil until browned, about 15 minutes.

  3. Reduce big pot heat to medium, add the remaining ingredients and the tofu-onion mix into the big pot, cover, and cook until soft, about 10 minutes.

Notes

  • Serve with mashed potatoes.

  • “Schmukomst” in Low German for “stewed cabbage”.

Socca Dosa

Makes: 4 thin 20cm-diameter socca
Equipment: mixing bowl, fry pan

These are chickpea pancakes with Indian flavors.

Ingredients

  • 1 c chickpea flour

  • 1 c water

  • 4 T olive 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

  1. Put the chickpea flour in a mixing bowl and with a spoon, fork, or whisk, slowly mix in the water so no clumps form.

  2. 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.

  3. During the last few minutes of the standing time, heat a fry pan and ½ T olive oil over medium heat.

  4. 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.

  5. Repeat with the remaining batter.

  6. 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.

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Spanish Beans

Serves: 2
Equipment: fry pan

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

  1. 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.

  2. Stir in smoked paprika and cook for 30 seconds.

  3. Add celery, drained beans, vinegar, and remaining olive oil. Cook until warmed through.

  4. Stir in parsley, season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve.

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Tarator

Serves: 6
Equipment: big bowl

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

  1. In a big bowl, mix the yoghurt and water thoroughly.

  2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients.

  3. Chill and serve.

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Tempeh Sauerkraut

Serves: 3
Equipment: large skillet

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

  1. In a large skillet sauté the tempeh in 1 T of oil until golden brown. Set aside.

  2. With the remaining oil, sauté the onion, capsicum, and garlic until lightly browned.

  3. Add the tempeh, sauerkraut, mustard, caraway, and water and continue to cook, stirring continuously, until heated through.

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Zucchine alla Scapece

Serves: 1
Equipment: fry pan

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

  1. Heat the olive oil in the fry pan over high heat, then cook the zucchini till almost golden brown but not mushy.

  2. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

  3. Transfer to a bowl, mix in the remaining ingredients, and serve.

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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

Makes: ~33 tablespoon-size balls
Equipment: food processor

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

  1. In a food processor, blend all the ingredients except the ginger until homogeneous.

  2. Blend in the ginger.

  3. Shape into balls.

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Banana Kulfi

Serves: 4
Equipment: a mixing bowl and a container for freezing

This recipe is vegan even.

Ingredients

  • 2 ripe bananas

  • 4–5 t sugar, date syrup, or maple syrup

  • ½ c coconut cream

  • ½ c peanut butter

  • 1 t vanilla extract

  • a dash of salt

Directions

  1. Mix everything in a bowl with a fork, or mix everything in a food processor or blender.

  2. Transfer to a container and freeze for 4 hours or until hard.

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Black Bean Brownies

Makes: 12 brownies
Equipment: food processor, baking dish

The chia seed and water combination used in this recipe is a clever vegan substitute for eggs. Serve with a creamy topping, such as, yogurt.

Ingredients

  • 2 T chia seeds or flax seeds + 2 T water

  • 400 mL cooked black beans (drained)

  • ¾ c cocoa powder

  • ¼ t salt

  • 1½ t baking powder

  • ¼ c sugar

  • ¼ c maple syrup or date syrup

  • 1 t vanilla extract

  • ½ c peanut butter

  • coconut oil to grease the baking dish

  • nuts, goji berries, or cocoa nibs for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  2. Grease the baking dish with the coconut oil.

  3. In the food processor, pulse the chia seeds and water. Add the remaining ingredients, minus the garnish, and blend until smooth, adding a little water if necessary.

  4. Pour the mix into the baking dish, smooth it over with a knife, and sprinkle with the optional garnish.

  5. Bake until the top is crispy but the inside still fudgey, about 40 minutes.

Notes

If you don’t 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.

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Chocolate

Makes: 185g
Equipment: double boiler, chocolate mold (optional)

If you don’t want to temper chocolate and don’t mind keeping chocolate in the refrigerator, then this recipe is for you.

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

  1. Liquify the cocoa butter and coconut oil over medium heat in a double boiler.

  2. Remove from heat and thoroughly mix in the remaining ingredients.

  3. Pour into a chocolate mold, pan, baking paper, something like that.

  4. Chill and store in a refrigerator.

Variations

  • Add 40 g dried cherries or cranberries

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Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes: 12 cookies
Equipment: food processor, large bowl, baking tray

Ingredients

  • 2 c almonds

  • 1 t baking soda

  • ¼ t salt

  • ½ c Medjool dates, pits removed

  • 1 t vanilla extract

  • 2 T coconut oil, melted

  • 1 egg

  • ¼ c shredded coconut

  • ½ c dark chocolate chips

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  2. In a food processor, combine the almonds, baking soda, and salt and grind till fine.

  3. Add the dates, vanilla, coconut oil, and egg and blend until mixed.

  4. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the shredded coconut and chocolate chips.

  5. Shape the mix into 12 cookies and place them on a baking tray.

  6. Bake until golden brown, roughly 15 minutes.

Variations

  • Replace the egg with with 1 T ground flax seed mixed with 3 T water to make the cookies vegan.

  • Replace 1 c almonds and the coconut oil with ½ c peanut butter to make peanut butter chocolate chip cookies.

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Chocolate Tempered

Makes: 185g
Equipment: double boiler, thermometer, chocolate mold (optional)

Ingredients

  • 100 g cocoa butter

  • 80 g cocoa powder

  • 1 t crushed vanilla beans

  • 2 t sugar

Directions

  1. Finely chop the cocoa butter, reserving one quarter of it for later.

  2. 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.

  3. Remove from heat, then set aside one third of the chocolate in a warm place.

  4. Mix into the remaining two thirds the reserved cocoa butter, stirring constantly until the mixture reaches 28°C.

  5. Mix in the reserved molten chocolate so that the mix reaches 32°C.

  6. Pour into a chocolate mold, pan, baking paper, something like that.

  7. 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 hardens and remains hard at room temperature. Also, including liquids in this recipe would ruin or make very difficult the tempering. If the chocolate does not temper, then something went wrong. Try the melting process again with the failed batch.

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Pie

Serves: 8
Equipment: pie plate, small sauce pan, large plate, large bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 c diced almonds

  • ¼ c coconut oil

  • 1 banana, sliced into disks

  • 250 g dark chocolate

  • ½ c peanut butter

  • 500 g silken tofu

  • 4 T maple syrup or honey

Directions

  1. Crust. In a small sauce pan, melt the coconut oil and mix in the almonds.

  2. Press into a pie plate.

  3. Lay the banana slices on the crust.

  4. Filling. Melt the chocolate in a double-boiler (a large plate on top of a small sauce pan of simmering water)

  5. In a large bowl, mix the melted chocolate, peanut butter, tofu, and maple syrup into a homogenous goo.

  6. Pour the goo into the crust and chill for an hour.

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Ice Cream

Serves: 4
Equipment: ice cream maker

Ingredients

  • ⅛ t guar gum

  • 4 eggs yolks

  • ⅓ c grade B maple syrup

  • 600 mL cream

  • flavorings

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix the guar gum with a little bit of cream to make a homogeneous paste with no lumps.

  2. Mix the paste with the remaining ingredients.

  3. Pour into an ice cream maker and make. Alternatively, put in the freezer and stir every 20 minutes until it reaches your desired consistency.

Notes

The guar gum is to prevent the ice cream from freezing too hard.

Here are some example flavorings.

  • Vanilla: add 2 t vanilla extract

  • Chocolate: add 1 t vanilla extract and 150 g melted dark chocolate

  • Raspberry: add 2 t vanilla extract and 300g mashed raspberries

  • Peppermint: add 1 t vanilla extract, 2 t peppermint extract, and 25 g shaved chocolate bar

  • Rosey: add 2 T rosewater

  • Fat Elvis: add 2 t vanilla extract, 1 very ripe bananas mashed, 25 g shaved chocolate, and ⅓ c peanut butter

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Nut Butter Muffins

Serves: 9
Equipment: mixing bowl, baking mold for 9 muffins

Ingredients

  • 1 c nut butter such as peanut or almond

  • 2 large spotty bananas

  • 2 eggs

  • 1 t baking powder

  • 1 t apple cider vinegar

  • 1 c berries, such as raspberries

  • grease for the muffin mold

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

  2. In a big bowl, mix until smooth all the ingredients except the berries.

  3. Gently fold in the berries.

  4. Grease the muffin mold, spoon the batter into it, and bake for 35 minutes or until golden brown.

Variation

  • Add 1/4 c cocoa to the mix.

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Rhubarb Sauce

Serves: 1
Equipment: sauce pan

Ingredients

  • 3 ribs rhubarb, leaves removed and finely chopped

  • 1 T water

  • 1 banana, peeled and coarsley chopped

  • 1 t honey

Directions

  1. Combine the rhubarb and water in the sauce pan and cook covered on medium-high for 5 minutes.

  2. Add the banana, reduce the heat to medium, and cook covered for 5 more minutes, or until the rhubarb has disintegrated.

  3. Remove from heat, mix in the honey, and serve over yogurt or ice cream.

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Bathroom 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.

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Deodorant

Makes: ~1 c
Equipment: mixing bowl, small glass jar for storage

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

  1. Mix baking soda and arrowroot together.

  2. Add the coconut oil and essential oil, and mix well.

  3. Pour into glass jar and use by rubbing your fingers around it then rubbing it into your armpits.

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Shampoo

Makes: ½ c
Equipment: funnel, an old shampoo bottle

Ingredients

  • ½ c castille soap

  • 10–15 drops of your favorite essential oil of choice, e.g. lavender or rose

Instructions

  1. Pour everything into the shampoo bottle with a funnel, shake the bottle, and use.

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