Dark Chocolate Chip Blondies

This is the first time we have cooked blondies together, and we are glad we did. Blondies are sort of like cookies in brownie form, but they focus more on the brown sugar than on the chocolate, which we love. None of the flavors are overpowering, but instead complement each other perfectly. Lots of brown sugar, with little chunks of dark chocolate and a hint of vanilla. We recommend enjoying these at a drive-in theater with someone you love.

blondie recipe

ingredients:

2 cups of organic light brown sugar

2 cups of organic unbleached all-purpose flour

2 organic non-fertile eggs

1 cup of Earth Balance butter, melted

Seeds from one organic vanilla bean

Pinch of sea salt

1.5 ounces of Noi Siruis dark chocolate, cut into small chunks

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

ii. In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs.

iii. Whisk in brown sugar, sea salt, vanilla bean seeds butter.

iv. Add flour and stir until all ingredients are combined.

v. Fold in chocolate. 

vi. Spoon into an 8x8 glass pan (If you use a metal pan, be sure to grease it before pouring batter into it.) and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until fork comes out clean when inserted into blondies. 

vii. Let cool, then serve.

makes nine blondies

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Buttermilk Biscuits

Having spent a lot of time in the South, we have come to appreciate real Southern cooking. The buttermilk biscuit is an essential part of a true Southern breakfast. It's the ultimate comfort food. Here's our version.

biscuit recipe

ingredients:

2 cups of organic unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting and rolling

3/4 cup of organic buttermilk from a local dairy farm or ethical company

1 1/2 teaspoons of aluminum-free baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of aluminum-free baking soda

1/2 cup of Earth Balance butter, cut into small chunks

Pinch of sea salt

Biscuit cutter (If you do not own a biscuit cutter, use something round, like a cup)

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 500 degrees Fahrenheit.

ii. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all dry ingredients.

iii. Add butter a chunk at a time and combine until mixture becomes grainy.

iv. Make a well in the center and pour in buttermilk.

v. Stir until mixture forms a dough.

vi. Lightly flour a flat surface and knead the dough, but do not overwork.

vii. Use a rolling pin to roll out dough, then cut your biscuits.

viii. Place biscuits on a baking sheet, then bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until they have lightly browned, then serve.

makes eight biscuits

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Spinach and Tofu Enchiladas

We love Mexican food, but it is hard to always find good, authentic-tasting Mexican food. These enchiladas are the best we've ever had. We know we say that with a lot of our recipes, but what's the point of cooking if you don't love your own food? And what's the point in always going to get your favorite kinds of food if you already know how to make them? So skip going to the Mexican restaurant down the road, because we promise that you will have a much better time with these. Oh, and you will also need to have a food processor handy.

enchilada sauce recipe


ingredients:

2 large organic heirloom tomatoes (or 3 medium ones), diced
1 medium organic yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of organic garlic
3 dried chiles de arbol, with seeds removed
2 teaspoons of organic ground cumin
1/4 cup of organic Mexican oregano
2 teaspoons of organic chile ancho powder (You can increase the amount of powder for spicier sauce or decrease it for less spicy sauce)
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

recipe:

i. In a medium frying pan, dry cook the onion, garlic, chiles de arbol, cumin, oregano and chile ancho powder.
ii. When the mixture becomes aromatic, remove from heat and place into a food processor.
iii. Add tomatoes, sea salt and pepper to food processor and combine until ingredients form a liquid.
iv. Transfer to a medium saucepan on high heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly, then put on low heat and let simmer for thirty minutes, stirring occasionally.
v. Strain the sauce to remove excess liquid. (If you do not do this, sauce will become watery while in the oven.)

enchilada recipe


ingredients:

10 large organic corn tortillas
14 ounces of organic extra firm tofu, dried and cubed
5 cups of organic spinach
8 ounces of Queso Fresco (cheese)
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
ii. In a medium frying, heat 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat, then add tofu and cook on high heat.
iii. Salt and pepper tofu to your liking and cook until tofu is brown and crisp, then remove from heat.
iv. In a medium frying pan, heat 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil on medium heat, then add spinach.
v. Cook spinach until it wilts, then remove from heat.
vi. Steam the tortillas so that they are flexible enough not to tear when being rolled.
vii. Fill each tortilla with spinach and tofu, then roll tortillas and place them in a large baking pan.
viii. Top with enchilada sauce and Queso Fresco crumbles, then place in oven and bake for fifteen to twenty minutes, or until cheese is browned, then serve.

makes ten enchiladas


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Honey Oat Squares

When we woke up this morning, the plan was to make oatmeal, but then we decided to experiment with ingredients. This is the result. Delicious Honey Oat Squares with sweet vanilla and crunchy coconut. Healthy, filling and easy to make, these little squares are perfect anytime. We suggest pairing them with your favorite tea.

honey oat squares recipe

ingredients:

1 1/4 cups of organic whole grain oats

1 1/2 tablespoons of organic honey

1/2 cup of organic whole wheat flour

1 1/2 tablespoons of organic unsweetened coconut flakes

Seeds from one organic vanilla bean

1-2 teaspoons of water

Pinch of organic sea salt

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

ii. In a medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except honey and water.

iii. Add honey and 1 teaspoon of water and stir until ingredients hold together. If they do not hold together, add more water until they do.

iv. Spoon mixture into a small baking pan and bake for 10-12 minutes.

v. Let cool, then cut into squares and serve.

makes nine to twelve squares

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Dijon Seitan Salad

We try to make a different salad every week. This has been our favorite so far, along with the Gala Gorgonzola salad. The seitan has a good meaty flavor, which goes well with the Dijon dressing. Whether you're a vegetarian or carnivore, this salad will satisfy your meat cravings. It's great on it's own or as a side. Plus it's simple, fast and healthy, and you'll probably want more.

dressing recipe


ingredients:

1 tablespoon of organic Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon of organic honey
1/4 cup - 1/2 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil (Use less if you want the dressing to taste more mustard-y.)
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

recipe:

i. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and whisk together.

salad recipe


ingredients:

4 cups of organic mixed greens
8 ounces of seitan (You can make it yourself or buy it at the store. Either way, it is very tasty.)
Pepper, to taste

recipe:

i. Turn medium frying pan on medium heat.
ii. Cut seitan into strips and add it to the pan. You do not need oil.
iii. Pepper the seitan to your taste.
iv. Toss the mixed greens and dressing together, then plate.
v. Once the seitan is browned on both sides, arrange it on each salad, then serve.

serves two-four


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Caprese Panini

A panini influenced by the traditional Insalata Caprese, this sandwich is refreshing and light. And with the addition of seasonal heirloom tomatoes, it is perfect for the summer. We served ours with a side of roasted potatoes. And for the more adventurous, we suggest adding a little balsamic reduction to give it a burst of sweetness.

panini recipe


ingredients:

1 loaf of Ciabatta bread, sliced how you prefer
2 large organic heirloom tomatoes, sliced
6 oz of fresh mozzarella from a local dairy farm or ethical company, sliced
1 cup of organic fresh basil
1/2 cup of organic pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano
Juice of 1/4 of an organic lemon
Sea salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
1/2 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing the bread

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, then start grill. If you do not have a grill, use a sandwich press, frying pan, or oven to cook the paninis.
ii. Place the tomatoes onto a baking sheet and salt and pepper them to your liking.
iii. Drizzle 1/4 cup of the olive oil over the tomatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until they begin to brown and the juices have somewhat dried.
iv. In a food processor, combine basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/4 cup of olive oil and lemon juice. If you do not have a food processor, use a knife to mince all the solid ingredients, then combine with the liquid ingredients in a bowl.
v. Spread half of the pesto onto each sandwich.
vi. Place tomatoes onto each sandwich, then add the mozzarella.
vii. Cook on grill until cheese has melted or until each side has decent-looking grill marks. As we mentioned earlier, if you do not have a grill, use a different method and cook until cheese has melted or bread is browned.
viii. Serve with your choice of side. But roasted potatoes go wonderfully with the paninis.

makes two paninis


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Lemon Quinoa

Here's a very simple meal that you can variate in all sorts of ways, but we are giving you the basic recipe. You can do whatever you want to it from there, but it is still tasty on its own. It goes perfectly with some Ciabatta bread topped with avocado. It's a quick and light summer meal.

lemon quinoa recipe


ingredients:

1 cup of organic black quinoa (You can use regular quinoa if you prefer.)
2 cups of water
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
Organic fresh parsley, to taste

recipe:

i. In a small saucepan, combine quinoa and water and bring to a boil.
ii. Once the quinoa is boiling, turn to low heat, cover and let simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until all water is gone.
iii. Squeeze the lemon juice over the quinoa and stir, then plate.
iv. Garnish with some organic fresh parsley and serve.

serves two


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Ricotta Pesto-Stuffed Shells in Marinara

We love pasta. Along with bread and cheese, pasta is one of our favorite things to eat. We cook Italian dishes more than anything else, and this specific recipe ties for first with our gnocchi. Italian food is always so flavorful and filling, and these stuffed shells stay true to that. A refreshing ricotta pesto stuffed into organic Conchiglioni and topped with our savory but subtly-sweet marinara, this dish is perfect.
By the way, you will have to come up with your own version of marinara or buy it at the store because ours is secret. But we will give you a hint: we made it from scratch with heirloom tomatoes.

ricotta pesto recipe


ingredients:

1 cup of organic fresh basil, minced (We used purple basil)
1 cup of organic fresh spinach, minced
1 cup of organic pine nuts, finely-chopped
1 clove of organic garlic, minced
Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1 cup of ricotta cheese from local dairy farm or ethical company

recipe:

i. Mix all ingredients in a medium mixing bowl until thoroughly-combined.


stuffed shells recipe


ingredients:

5 ounces of large organic Conchiglioni shells (should come out to be around 16 shells)
2 cups of our ricotta pesto
3 cups of marinara
1 cup of grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

recipe:

i. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
ii. Using a spoon, stuff each shell with the ricotta pesto and place in a large baking pan.
iii. Pour marinara over shells, covering each shell as well as the bottom of the dish.
iv. Sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano over entire dish.
v. Place in oven and bake for 40 minutes, then serve.

serves two


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