Easy Fusion Nori Veggie Wraps

December 31, 2013 Kathleen Henry

Feeling a bit overindulged with regards to food, after the holidays? Not me. *snicker, snicker* Being vegan, there's really only a handful of edible items at a normal party. They mostly include, well...salad. Yet, whether you're vegan or not and whether you stuffed your face over the holidays or used up your entire store of willpower, these little nori veggie wraps will set you right back on track. No need to go on a juice fast or drink wheat grass shots for three days straight. I promise. Please don't do that. Yep, trick your taste buds while sneaking your way back into healthy eating in delicious style. These Easy Fusion Nori Veggie Wraps are super quick, foolproof and downright tasty. Packed full of fresh veggies, with super nutrient nori seaweed, a little protein power from hummus and a wee bit of sweetness from hoisin sauce, they are sure to be a hit.

And so colorful too! What a great little meal to ring in the new year with.

Easy Fusion Nori Veggie Wraps

Makes 3 wraps (serves 2)

3 Nori seaweed sheets (same used for sushi)
1/2 cup hummus
1 1/2 Tbsp. hoisin sauce
a few handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 cup red cabbage, thinly sliced and chopped
1/2 large carrot, peeled
1/2 avocado, pitted and sliced
small handful of cilantro, chopped

--Notes-- Feel free to add or substitute any additional fresh veggies you like!

First, collect and prep all the veggies and the cilantro.

Then, lay one sheet of nori in a landscape position, so the shiny side is down and put a dollop of hummus on the side closest to you. Spread it from left to right, so it's even, then spread about 1/2 Tbsp. of hoisin sauce over the hummus. Next, spread a tiny bit on the opposite side. This will help the wrap stay rolled up.

Place your desired amount of spinach on top of the hummus, followed by portions of the remaining ingredients. Be sure not to pile it on too much or the wrap could break when it's rolled. I've never, ever done this... Now, roll it up away from you and voila! You have yourself a nori wrap.

Slice on the diagonal and eat up! Here's to a healthy and happy new year! Maybe even a slightly vegan new year, perhaps?

Dancin' to Air Traffic Controller – Hurry, Hurry I think this is my life's theme song...and pretty appropriate for the new year.

[yumprint-recipe id='57']Inspired by A House In The Hills

Vegan Spanakopita

December 27, 2013 Kathleen Henry

Hello! How have your Holidays been so far this year? Mine have been terribly busy. And also quite frankly, a smidgen frustrating...I'm looking at you, UPS, Shutterfly, and West Elm! However, there were times of relaxation that included walks in the snow and watching Dracula on Hulu. You know, the one on NBC with Jonathan Rhys Meyers? How they are allowed to show that on normal television is waaaay beyond me, but after watching The Tudors, I'm down for anything with Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Even if it is watching scary Dracula...around Christmastime. Oh well. If you haven't seen either of these shows, first, shame on you. And second, what are you waiting for?! For Christmas morning brunch at my Grandparents' house, I made this. Sooooo amazing. And for Christmas dinner I brought along my favorite drink ever and this Spanakopita! Spank-eee-o-pita. I was informed this is not the correct pronunciation of this dish. It's spa-na-ko-pi-ta, which, now that I look at it...makes a lot more sense. I have no idea where I got my pronunciation of it.

My family never made this dish, growing up. Honestly, I think I've only had it a couple times. My BFF used to make it a lot and I remember liking it, though I obviously never learned how to properly pronounce it. I had some leftover phyllo dough in the fridge, which of course, I couldn't bear to waste and I thought might be a sign that it was time to take on the spank-eee-o-pita.

Traditionally, I believe it involves feta. But don't freta (hah hah hah), feta doesn't make an appearance in this spanakopita! The flavor and texture of feta, however, is mimicked by a combination of chickpeas, nutritional yeast, tahini, vinegar, and lemon juice. Yes, this dish has all the wonderful flavors of the traditional, but with a little more benevolence. It's friendlier to the earth, to the cows, the chickens and to your body! I should've called it Friendly Spanakopita!

Vegan Spanakopita

Serves 8

Filling:
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, diced
8 green onion stalks, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach packages, thawed
1 15 oz. can of chickpeas, drained, rinsed and mashed
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/3 cup kalamata olives, de-pitted and chopped
1/3 cup tahini
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1/2 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lemon, juiced (divided into 1/4 cup and remainder)
12 phyllo dough sheets
Glaze:
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. ground flax seed

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low. Add in the chopped onion and green onions and saute for a few minutes, until the onions have started to soften. Now, add in the garlic and continue to saute a few more minutes, until the onions have become translucent.

Add the spinach to the onion mixture and turn the heat up to medium. Allow the spinach to cook until all the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally. This will take some time, about 10 minutes or so. Meanwhile, mash up the chickpeas.

Once all the water is gone, add in the rest of the filling ingredients, including the remainder of the lemon juice once 1/4 cup has been set aside, but excluding the phyllo dough. Combine well and allow to cook for another 5-10 minutes, until thoroughly heated while stirring occasionally.

See my reindeer dish towel?? Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 F and whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl. Spray a 9x13 baking dish with a nonstick cooking spray and place one sheet of the phyllo dough on the bottom of the pan. Lightly brush with the glaze to coat, then place another sheet on top of that and glaze. Repeat with an additional four sheets. There should now be six sheets stacked, total.

Now, spoon the filling into the dish and smooth over so it's even, ensuring to fill the corners. Place a sheet of phyllo dough on top of the filling and continue the glazing process with the other half of the phyllo dough sheets. There should now be six on the bottom of the dish, followed by the filling, followed by six more phyllo dough sheets. Be sure to brush the very top sheet and even spray it with some nonstick cooking spray.

Bake for about 35 minutes at 350 F. Remove from oven and allow to rest for five minutes.

Then, slice into eight rectangles and serve hot! Scrumptious!

Wiggling to George Ezra – Budapest

[yumprint-recipe id='56']Adapted from Virtually Vegan Mama

Greek Hummus Salad Dressing

December 23, 2013 Kathleen Henry

It's no secret that I do most of the grocery shopping in our house. Every once and awhile Todd will go to Costco, in Anchorage where he works. He always manages to bring home something that he picked out and that was not on our the list. Most recently, he came home with a 500 pack of single serving hummus tins. If you're vegan, you probably know of which I speak. I was delighted that he'd brought home something healthy! However, hummus usually requires vegetables. Vegetables that need to be washed, chopped and put in a little container to be brought along to work, to be eaten. Having forgotten that we had this 500 pack of hummus tins (in the back of the fridge), necessary veggie preparation did not happen.

While cleaning the fridge this weekend I stumbled upon said hummus tins and took a peek at the expiration date. Uh...it's tomorrow, as in December 24rd. I'm not saying that these won't be consumed long after their expiration date, because they will, let's be real. However, we should probably get hoppin' on that. I had some leftover lettuce from several days earlier that needed to be eaten and I thought it would be a good idea to combine all the things that were beginning to decay in the fridge, to make one meal. This includes the kalamata olives, their original purchase date is probably going on a few years...if I die within the next few days, you'll know why.

May I suggest finding some...er...fresher ingredients for your salad dressing? Regardless, this salad dressing is awesome! It's creamy and thick, thanks to the hummus and not overloaded with oil, which can be appreciated. The kalamata olives lend a miso-esc umami flavor, the lemon juice a tartness, pinch of sugar a sweetness and the paprika a smoky profile.

This dressing couldn't be easier, so if you find yourself truly fortunate enough to have a 500 pack of single serving hummus tins a little past their prime, you now know what to do.