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Tomato Quinoa Cakes

By Leslie · Comments (2) · May 16th, 2013

Take Two! So if you liked the Tomato Quinoa Risotto I posted the other day, you’ll heart my Tomato Quinoa Cakes! A perfect example of making something new out of leftovers, which I love doing!

Tomato Quinoa Cakes

makes 4 cakes

2 cups Tomato Quinoa Risotto

1-2 tbsp. bread crumbs

2 fresh basil leaves, chopped

Mix all the ingredients well and with your hands and form 4 equal size patties. Make sure they are tight!

Lightly grease a frying pan and over medium high heat place the patties in the pan and let cook about 5 minutes on each side or until golden. Careful not to flip too many times because they cakes will be fragile. Serve warm as an appetizer or over a salad.

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Categories : featured, recipes, Vegan

Wine Wednesday: Northwest Totem Cellars

By Leslie · Comments (2) · May 15th, 2013

Happy Wine Wednesday! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted a new wine, but I’m happy to introduce you to Northwest Totem Cellars! They are located up in Washington state and make fabulous vegan wine! This is the “Qo-ne” which is a Cab Franc blend. It was delicious! Fruity and smooth this wine is perfect for a Summer afternoon! I paired it with my Tomato Quinoa Risotto and it was just fabulous! I also have the Cabernet Franc that I can’t wait to open, I’ll post notes here with what I thought, but if this first bottle is any indication I’m going to love it!

And if you happen to be in the Washington area check out their events page, it looks like Mike Sharadin (the owner/operator/wine maker) knows how to have fun! They through all sorts of events at the winery!

Cheers!

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Categories : Beverages: Wine, featured, the pantry

Leslie’s Easy Tips For Being Healthy!

By Leslie · Comments (1) · May 14th, 2013

People always ask what I do besides not eating animal products to stay in-shape. So I wrote a list What do you do that keeps you happy and healthy?

1. Drink water! (Lot’s of it, 5-8 glasses a day)

2. Snack often. Don’t let yourself get starving before you sit down for a big meal. Eat small (healthy!) meals all day.

3. Do cardio for at least 20 minutes everyday. Run, walk, jog, skip, hop, jump just get outside and move!

4. Strengthen your core. It holds your whole body together

5. Eat real food! Cut out processed foods. If it has an ingredient list, don’t eat it.

6. Sleep. 7-8 hours a night is ideal.

7. Avoid stress (I know this is easier said than done…)

8. Appreciate life!

xoxo!

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Categories : featured, wellness

Tomato Quinoa Risotto

By Leslie · Comments (5) · May 13th, 2013

I love quinoa, but better yet, I love that my carnivorous family likes it too! For a big family dinner yesterday I played around with an idea I had kicking around in my head. I wanted to make a Tomato Quinoa Risotto and that’s just what I did. It was pretty tasty! I hope you can see it under all that fresh basil from the garden I chopped up on top

Tomato Quinoa Risotto

Serves 6

1 cup quinoa

1 cup tomato sauce (great way to use leftover)

1 cup water or vegetable broth

1/2 medium onion, diced

5 cloves of garlic, chopped

1 1/2 cups diced Roma tomatoes

15 oz. of Cannelini beans (white kidney beans)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil to garnish

In a medium pot, bring the tomato sauce and water to a boil and add the quinoa, reduce heat to medium low or to a simmer. Add in the onion and garlic after about 5 minutes. Continue to cook until all the liquid is absorbed. Should take about 20 minutes total.

Stir in the beans, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper and let sit about 2 minutes to soften the tomatoes.

Serve with fresh chopped basil on top.

Enjoy!

Comments (5)

Categories : featured, Quinoa, recipes, Vegan

Portobello Asada Tacos

By Leslie · Comments (4) · May 5th, 2013

Happy Cinco De Mayo! This month my recipe for Portobello Asada Tacos was featured in my friend Fabio Viviani‘s magazine! I hope you enjoy!

Where’s the beef? Who cares! My vegan take on carne asada will have you questioning the need for carne at all.

Growing up in San Diego meant round-the-clock access to the most amazing Mexican food this side of the border. Eating at taco shops at 2 am is just about a right of passage for any San Diegan.

I love the flavors and concepts of authentic Mexican cuisine, but I couldn’t find too many vegan options on the menus so I started creating my own at home. From chile relleno and enchiladas to tortas and chimichangas, I’ve veganized them all!

Here’s one of Mexico’s most famous staples: carne asada. My vegan version replaces traditional beef with portobello mushrooms, which I marinate in citrus and spices overnight. The end result is Mexican food that packs a flavor punch without the late night 2am guilt.

Portobello Asada

Ingredients:

Serves 2

4 portobello mushrooms, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces
1 orange, juiced
3 limes, juiced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. olive oil

Preparation:Whisk together all the ingredients except mushrooms in a large bowl. Add the sliced mushrooms and toss to coat. Pour the mushrooms and marinade into a airtight plastic bag and refrigerate for 4 hours (or overnight).

In a large frying pan, on medium heat, add the mushroom and marinade and saute until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the pan and cut into 1 inch pieces.

Onion Cilantro RelishIngredients:

1/2 white onion, finely diced
1 handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 lime, juice

Preparation:Combine all the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate.Serve with warm tortillas, Onion Cilantro Relish, and Guacamole.

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Categories : Ethnic: Mexican, featured, recipes, Vegan

Crazy for Cookie

By Leslie · Comments (4) · April 25th, 2013

Last week I had the pleasure of attending an event at Neiman Marcus with Cookie Johnson, designer of CJ by Cookie Johnson Denim. She is debuting her new Spring/Summer line. So why am I interested? Cookie is not only a fascinating business woman, AIDS awareness spokesperson, but also makes sure all her denim is manufactured right here in Los Angeles. Cool huh?

When I asked Cookie what advice she had for female entrepreneurs she said, “Do your homework. Research what has made other people in that field successful.” I agree! You can never learn too much!

Cookie says manufacturing in Los Angeles is key because it’s the birthplace of premium denim and the best resources in the world are available here. It also doesn’t hurt that manufacturing in Los Angeles creates jobs for Americans and reduces her shipping carbon footprint Cookies advice for Earth Month is to use reusable products. Swap out paper towels for dish towels, eliminate paper napkins and use beautiful fabric ones. Right on Cookie!

I asked who the CJ Denim customer is and she said, “Real women with real bodies.” I love that! And it’s true! These jeans look just as good on a size 0 as on a size 18. Among her favorite people to dress are Oprah and Angela Bassett.

So here’s my lowdown on CJ Denim. I love them! The fabric is so soft it feels more like wearing sweats than denim and the fit is fabulous! They come in dark denim washes as well as a bunch of fun colors. I’ve been rocking the green ones for Earth Month. And I love the price point on these jeans. My favorite style is $124 which is fabulous for a premium denim that you’ll be living in! You can find them in at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills or on their website.

xoxo!

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Categories : eco style, featured

High-Fashion & Low-Carbon Footprint for Earth Day Shoot

By Leslie · Comments (7) · April 16th, 2013

I had the pleasure of shooting with one of my closest friends: the unbelievably talented photographer Laura Grier. She and I had an eco-epiphany to do an ethically-chic, high-fashion shoot to prove you don’t have to sacrifice style for sustainability. Head-to-toe, everything was ethically sourced—from my vegan make-up to the biodegradable Earth balloon! We shot at the gorgeous St. Regis Monarch Beach Resort and I wore a fabulous dress from the new H&M Conscious Collection.

1. Gown by H&M Eco Conscious Collection, 2. Aveda Be Curly, 3. Aveda Uruku Bronzer, 4. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics, 5. Lippy Girl Lips, 6. Melissa Shoes, 7. Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Nail Color, 8. Nicki Jean Ring Hair Color: Planet Salon

And here is Laura’s art piece she created

xoxo!

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Categories : celebrations, featured

Eggplant Cutlets

By Leslie · Comments (4) · April 15th, 2013

My cousin was over the other night and we were reminiscing over our favorite family recipes. She brought up my Grandma’s Eggplant Cutlets that I almost forgot about! And what better timing since all of you have been asking for new eggplant recipes. This super simple recipe is so freaking tasty! They are so tender and the true flavor of the eggplant really comes out. You can serve it alone as a side dish, on a salad, or with your favorite sauce. If eggplants are new to you, check out this post: Eggplant 101 with lots of info

Eggplant Cutlets

1 eggplant

1 cup of Vegenaise or your favorite vegan mayonnaise

2 cups of breadcrumbs (you can use italian, or plain and add in some fresh garlic and fresh parsley)

Slice the eggplant in 1/4 inch rounds, salt and place in strainer (see here for more detail).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lightly oil a cookie sheet with cooking spray.

Pat the slices of eggplant dry and paint with the vegenaise and dredge in the breadcrumbs. Arrange on the cookies sheet and repeat.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until golden and tender.

Printer Friendly Recipe

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Categories : featured, recipes, Vegan, Vegetables: Eggplant

Homemade Ketchup

By Leslie · Comments (8) · April 11th, 2013

Who needs 57 ingredients in their ketchup? Making ketchup is way easier than you think! And how cool will you look at your Summer BBQ’s by saying, “Try some of my homemade ketchup on your veggie burger”? This ketchup is also the base of a lot of my sauces I’ll be talking about in the next few weeks so it’s great to have on hand.

Homemade Ketchup

makes 3 cups

12 oz. tomato paste*

1/2 cup agave nectar (or honey)

1/2 cup white vinegar

1/2 cup water

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

Whisk all the ingredients together in a pot and heat on medium until it bubbles, reduce heat to low and let simmer for 15-20 minutes stirring regularly. Refrigerate and serve chilled.

*Make sure you buy a tomato paste where the only ingredient is “tomatoes”. You don’t want all that other chemical stuff!

Printer Friendly Recipe

Comments (8)

Categories : featured, recipes, Vegan

Eggplant

By Leslie · Comments (3) · April 3rd, 2013

You asked on Facebook and I’m answering! Every week I’m going to feature another vegetable or fruit that you are having challenges with. I’m hoping to debunk some of these foods and make you want to give them a try! This week it’s all about one of my favorite veggies to eat: Eggplant! Make sure to Facebook me any foods you’d like to see featured in this series

Eggplant is one of the most used and diverse vegetables out there! Originally a native to India, eggplant is now used all over the world.

eggplant_plant Being Italian vegan, I love eggplant! It makes a great meat substitute in recipes! I’m going to teach you how to prep an eggplant and one of my favorite ways to cook it! First off, you need to prep the eggplant:

Step 1: Wash the eggplant and cut off the ends.

Step 2: Slice or dice the eggplant in accordance to the recipe you are making.

Step 3: Place the eggplant in a strainer and sprinkle with salt. This draws all the bitterness out of the eggplant. You’ll want to let it sit there for about 30 minutes. Pat them dry and then they are ready to cook!

Once you’ve got your eggplant prepped you can cook it a variety of ways. You can grill it, saute it, or roast it. Here are a few of my favorite recipes using eggplant: My Aunt Rose’s Caponata, My Eggplant Burger, Pizza topped with Eggplant and Tomatoes, and Grilled Eggplant Wrapped Quinoa.

FUN FACT #1: Who needs the patch?? Eggplant is richer in nicotine than any other edible plant, with a concentration of 100 ng/g (or 0.01 mg/100g). However, the amount of nicotine from eggplant or any other food is negligible compared to passive smoking. On average, 20lbs (9 kg) of eggplant contains about the same amount of nicotine as a cigarette.

FUN FACT #2: Eggplant is closely related to the tomato and the potato!

Comments (3)

Categories : featured, the pantry