My friend Kristen and I have only been friends for the past 4 years and yet, I can’t imagine a time when I was without her. She is the best kind of person and I am so grateful to her friendship every day. When we are together, everything is effortless and comfortable. She motivates me, challenges me, and makes me want to be the things that self-doubt hadn’t allowed me to believe before. When I wanted to start Sprouts & Chocolate, she was so supportive and sent me messages every day with words of love. She is a writer and the editor of my eBook, Sprouts & Chocolate: Uncooked.  Kristen is not a vegan but she does enjoy big vegan bowls, especially with a spicy sauce. She and I both have a love of Korean food and she is always willing to try out new dishes at our favourite place. She has visited Korea a few times and has a little more knowledge than I do of the ingredients of our local Korean market. Once I purchased gochujang, a red chili paste, I became obsessed with it. It is spicy, sweet, salty, and pairs well with cold noodles. This is not an authentic recipe. Bibimbap is traditionally served in a hot stone bowl with meat, vegetables, and an egg over rice. It is absolutely delicious but in most restaurants, impossible to get a vegan version. This homemade version is easy and just as tasty. Even if you don’t make this bowl, I recommend to keep the sauce. It tastes great on your basic rice and vegetable bowls.

I hope you and your friends can share this bowl together. Cheers to good friends and good food! Kristen is also a writer and her site is Dark Clark, a writing blog focusing on thriller and horror fiction.  P.S. The red chili paste used for this recipe can be found at most Asian markets. If you live in Toronto, I found mine here.

14 posts down, 16 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 15: OMG the President is coming! Missed Day 13? Check it out here. 

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made a recipe from this post? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

5.0 from 1 reviews

Cold Udon Noodle w/ Spicy Bibimbap Sauce

 

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Prep time

20 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

45 mins

 

This is not an authentic recipe. Bibimbap is traditionally served in a hot stone bowl with meat, vegetables, and an egg over rice. It is absolutely delicious but in most restaurants, impossible to get a vegan version. This homemade version is easy and just as tasty.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: Korean

Serves: 2

Ingredients

• For the Spicy Bibimbap Sauce:
• ½ cup gochujang paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced finely
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seed oil
• 1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds + more for garnish
• 
  
• For the Bowl:
• 8 ounces tempeh, rinsed and cut into 8 thin pieces
• 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon prepared bibimbap sauce
• ½ tablespoon toasted sesame seed oil
• 
  
• 2 bundles of udon noodles
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 1 carrot, peeled and shaved in long ribbon
• 1 cup shredded purple cabbage
• 
  
• Optional:
• 1 sheet of nori, cut into thin strips (I use scissors to cut mine)
• Vegan kimchi

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Make the bibimbap sauce and set aside.
3. Whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, and 1 tablespoon prepared bibimbap sauce. Marinate the pieces of tempeh for 20 minutes, turning halfway through. Transfer the tempeh to the baking sheet, cover with tin foil, and cook for 15 minutes. Uncover, flip, and spoon on a little of the bibimbap sauce to each piece of tempeh. Cook for another 10 minutes, the sauce should be dry and stick the tempeh.
4. While the tempeh is cooking, cook the noodles according to the package's directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until the noodles are chilled.Toss with some sauce and set aside.
5. In the empty pot, add a steamer basket and a few inches of water. Steam the spinach until just wilted. Put spinach in a clean dish towel and squeeze out the excess water.
6. Divide the ingredients to each serving bowl and top with extra sauce. Garnish with extra sesame seeds if you like. Serve and enjoy!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 2-4

3.3.3077

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I should have called this salad, “Clinging onto Summer for Dear Life Salad,” but that is a bit too long yet it is accurate. I find myself going outside in the brutal summer heat just to get some sunshine before the days turn grey. This summer has been hot and more blissful than other summers before it and I am sad to see it go.

Fall brings out delicious things and cooler weather, I can’t say I am craving the famous PSL quite yet. Nothing beats berry season, especially when paired with other seasonal produce. 

I haven’t been eating enough corn or peaches this summer so I wanted to get my fill with this salad and lots of blueberry vinaigrette. The vibrant colours, fresh taste, and antioxidant-packed dressing will have me missing the summer season. Cheers to summer, you have been good to me. 

10 recipes down, 20 more to go! See you tomorrow for Day 11: Nutrient Focused Recipe. Missed Day 9? Check it out here.

Stay connected on the daily by following me on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest.  Made this recipe? I would love to see it! Use the hashtag #screcipe on your social media. 

Peach Millet Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette

 

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Prep time

10 mins

Cook time

15 mins

Total time

25 mins

 

This salad is burst with summer flavour! Ripe peaches, fresh corn, and blueberries on greens with lots of flavourful blueberry vinaigrette. The millet is optional but pairs well with this salad and makes it a little bit more of a meal than just a plain salad. You can use any grain you like! 1 cup of uncooked millet makes about 3½ cup of cooked millet. Use the leftovers in big vegan bowls, salad, or morning grain bowls. The dressing will keep for about a week in the fridge.

Author: Jessica DeMarra

Recipe type: Salad, Dressing

Cuisine: Vegan

Ingredients

• For The Blueberry Vinaigrette:
• ½ cup fresh blueberries, rinsed
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
• 2 teaspoons cracked mustard
• ¼ teaspoon fine grain sea salt
• 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 
  
• For the Salad:
• 1 cup cooked millet (or grain of choice)
• 4 cups of greens, I used baby spinach
• 1 cup fresh corn, raw or lightly cooked
• 2 ripe peaches, cut into slices
• ¼ cup fresh blueberries

Instructions

1. To cook the millet:Rinse 1 cup uncooked millet in a fine mesh strainer. Add millet to 2½ cups of water (or stock) in a medium pot. Bring to boil over high heat, turn down heat, and simmer for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Drain, fluff, and let cool. It will make more than 1 cup of cooked grains so you will have leftovers.
2. For the Dressing:
3. Add all the ingredients for the dressing except the olive oil. While the blender is running, steam the oil slowly into the top. Blend until very smooth. Set aside until you are ready to dress the salad.
4. For the salad: Add greens to a large serving bowl or two smaller bowls. Add all the ingredients to the dish or divided amongst the dishes, dress to your liking, and serve.

3.3.3077

The post Day 10 Vegan MoFo: Peach Millet Salad with Blueberry Vinaigrette appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Last week I attended a seminar lead by Davida from The Healthy Maven about “How to Build an Ebook” with the plan of self-publishing my own in the near future (birthday goal!). At first, I wasn’t 100 percent sure if I could afford to miss a shift at work and I was kind of nervous about putting myself out there since I am a rather shy person around new people. When new people I meet at social events ask me what I do, I coyly respond, “well umm I have a food site, you know for vegans and umm sometimes I bake a cake…” Now this isn’t what I do to pay my bills but my server job pays for my passion so I lead with that. I bucked up and with a moment of bravery registered for the seminar. I got my confirmation email and volia, I was going. It was as simple as that.

I walked into this beautiful, sunny, rustic seminar room and sat with equally nervous bloggers from Toronto around a gorgeous wooden table. Davida introduced herself and welcomed any questions about the seminar, her site and marketing. It was an elating experience. She sold herself and her brand without skipping a beat or a moment of awkwardness. She told us, “the moment you decide that your site is your business, it is your business. Put on your business mask and hustle.” She explained to me later on that if I considered it a little hobby I did on the side then so would other people. I could literally feel the shift in my mentality. This is what I want to do so I am going to give it my all and there cannot be any compromise about it.

I absolutely loved the seminar and I can’t wait for another one hosted by Davida. In those three hours, she became a resource of “how-to’s” and a source of inspiration. She kept telling me “you can do this, you have come this far!!” When I first started, I literally knew nothing about blogging, site maintenance, SEO, plugins etc. but with each post it gets a little bit easier.

Some things that has not been getting easier is selling myself and really believing that I could do this. We are all our worst critics but it is time to put my game face on, even when I think I can’t do it. Negative mentality is no way to immerse yourself in your passion.

A big thanks to Davida with all of her wisdom and advice, which she admits came from her own mistakes. The seminar gave me the kick in the butt I obviously needed.

So what does this all have to do with Bahn Mi? I picked up a sandwich after the seminar. Wish I could tie it in but sometimes these things just happen. 

The post Bahn Mi Salad w/ Pickled Vegetables and Vietnamese Croutons appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

Today is Hump Day Drink Wednesday and I have something wicked to share with you…..

Tonight I am off to see the musical Wicked! This production is hands-down my favourite musical: the impossible notes to hit, the hilarious dynamic between the main characters, heartbreak, the tears and standing up for what you think is right when everyone is trying to bring you down. What is not to love?

How to Peel an Orange for a Smoothie

Elphaba is one of my favourite characters of all time: she is kind of awkward, caring, thoughtful and strong. She wants to do the right thing but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way she planned. Her persistence gets her into unpleasant circumstances but her refusal to give up is why I admire her most.

I personally believe that if Elphaba were a real person, she would be a vegan. In dedication to Elphaba and the production of Wicked I made this Wicked Green Smoothie.

How to Dice a Pineapple

I always think that smoothie making is much like crafting a witch’s brew: a little bit of this, a dash of that and whirl away [minus the eye of toad} I have made some good, bad and ugly smoothies in my past from greenish grey, to bog water to purplish mud but thankfully I have become a lot better at making some great veggie filled smoothies.

A friend of mine does not like bananas in her smoothies so I wanted to make a banana-free one for her. This one uses other tropical fruit that I love: pineapple. It might take a little longer to blend since pineapple is very fibrous which is good for digestion.

This green smoothie is so good for you: protein (25 grams of natural plant-based protein and omegas to boot), Vitamin C, Vitamin A and loads of micronutrients it may make you burst out in song and dance! Now if only I could carry a tune….

The post Wicked Green Smoothie {Banana-Free} appeared first on Sprouts & Chocolate.

The weather has been kind of a jerk to me since it always seems to be a glorious beautiful sunny day boasting 20 degrees temperature while I am in school and working all day and yet on my day off it rains and freezing. Mother Nature be kind to me please! Thankfully, this soup tastes great hot or cold. If it is beautiful out, take it bowlful outside and enjoy the bright day or if it is miserable, curl up with a mugful of this soup and a good book. There are a lot of recipes for minty pea soups and for good reasons: it is refreshing and melts all those winter stresses away with a single spoonful. Unlike most of the other pea-mint soup combinations the mint is in the magical creamy cashew sauce. Who knew soaking raw cashews could be so wonderful? When I was transitioning into veganism cashew creams saved me from craving dairy and now I am just so in love with them I find any excuse to use them. The cream isn’t overly minty since I really wanted the peas to shine through so add more mint to the cream if you like.

Mark and I are on Day 16 of the Forks Over Knives Challenge and it does get easier. Your body balances itself out and you really start to experience the true taste of your food and what better to recharge those taste buds with some fresh Spring green peas.

Congratulations to the Forks Over Knives Prize Pack Giveaway Winner: Wendi J from Minnesota. You will be receiving your prizes in the mail in the near future! Congratulations again! The giveaway may be over but the challenge continues here at S&C.

Thank you for all who entered! I hope this is the first of many Sprouts and Chocolate Giveaways and I love being able to spread some plant-based love and support to my readers. Thank you so much again for your support!

Notes:

• Make the cashew cream first and then the soup so you don’t have to wash out your blender twice and it makes the soup that much creamier (plus I just hate doing dishes)
• Can’t find fresh peas in the pod? Frozen peas are an excellent substitute since they cook so quickly and you don’t have to shuck them, which is a time consuming effort.
• This soup is super quick and easy to make. To prep for the cream, add some cashews to water before heading out to work and by the time you get home they will be all soaked and creamy for you to make dinner.

Minty Cashew Cream

Makes ½ cup

• ½ raw cashews, soaked for at least 2 hours (if you have a high power blender there is no need to soak them)
• 10 tablespoons water
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• 10-12 fresh mint leaves
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until completely smooth. Transfer to another container until ready to use.

Sweet Pea Soup

Makes 7 cups

•  2 large leeks, white and light green parts only, quartered and sliced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 4 cups low sodium vegetable stock
• 5 springs fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh or frozen petite peas
• 4 cups packed baby spinach
• ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper

Soak the leeks in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit. In a large pot over medium high heat add the rinsed leeks and salt and sauté for 8 minutes, adding vegetable stock 1-2 tablespoons at a time so the leeks don’t stick to the pot. The leeks will be softened but not as browned as when you use oil but surprisingly sweet and delicious.

Add the stock, parsley and lemon juice and bring to a simmer. When the stock mixture is simmering add the peas and spinach and cook for 5 minutes until peas are fully cooked and spinach is wilted. Add the pepper and transfer soup to a blender, leaving room at the top of the blender for steam to escape. Blend until completely smooth.

Drizzle the Minty Cashew Cream on top and serve (hot or cold).

P.S. If you get bored of the leftovers since this recipe makes 7 cups, add a pinch or more of hot curry powder when you reheat it on the stovetop. Serve with chopped cilantro or parsley.

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