Chilly Chili (raw)

If you're into raw food and have never heard of the Raw Foods Witch, I highly recommend checking her out.  She's a little...errrr...quirky, but has some fantastic tips, recipes, and videos.  When I did my first detox, I used a lot of her recipes.  The following is adapted from her "Hearty Raw Chili" recipe.

Note:  I don't do a lot of measuring, especially for raw dishes.  I really mostly just throw stuff in.  These measurements are rough estimates.

Chilly Chili

(pictures to come soon)

Chili

-1 c. broccoli, chipped

-2 bell peppers (mixed colors), chopped

-1 or 1 1/2 lg. tomato, diced

-1/2 sm. onion, diced

-1/2 tsp. chili powder

-1/2 - 1 tsp. cayenne (depending on how spicy you want it)

-1 tsp. coriander

-raw chili paste (see below)

-1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt

Optional, but highly recommended:

-avocado, cubed

-mung bean sprouts

Raw Chili Paste

-3 dates, soaked

-1/2 sm. onion, chopped

For chili:

Place chopped broccoli, pepper, and onion in a large bowl and add spices.  Mix gently.  Add chili paste and season with salt; stir until well mixed.

Garnish with avocado cubes and a handful of bean sprouts.  Enjoy!

For raw chili paste:

Combine dates and onion in food processor.  Blend until they form a paste.

**Just a helpful tip:  This makes quite a bit of chili.  I usually put 1 c. portions into containers so I can grab and go for lunch.  I always stir in the avocado and bean sprouts when I am ready to eat (this keeps the avocado from getting brown and the bean sprouts from getting soggy).

Tempeh Hot Wings or Spicy Baked Tempeh

I've been trying to experiment with proteins a bit - mix things up a little.  I've enjoyed tempeh many times, but usually at a restaurant where it was prepared by the pros.  Since I'm a novice at cooking with tempeh, I decided to start by looking at the recipes of some other bloggers.  I tried The Ordinary Vegetarian's "Tempeh Hot Wings" first, because I just could not stop drooling at the food porn photo!  Well, it turned out pretty frickin' delicious.  I highly suggest this recipe.  I did make a few substitutions/changes (as I pretty much always do).

Here is my version:

Note:  I made only half of this recipe.  Needing to use up the rest of the tempeh, I decided to make the wings again, but without the mess and extra calories of the breading.  For a lower-cal and gluten-free version, just skip the breading process, then mix the sauce ingredients and coat the tempeh in the wing sauce before baking.   I actually preferred this version because I didn't get that heavy feeling in my stomach after eating so many carbs (Bonus:  less mess to clean up!).

The UNbreaded version of these Tempeh Hot Wings  (please excuse the overcooked asparagus)

Breaded Wings:  
8 oz package of tempeh
1/3 c. coconut milk
1/3 c. oat flour (rolled oats, finely ground)
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp garlic powder
fresh ground pepper, to taste
2/3 c breadcrumbs (I made my own by toasting some slices of Ezekiel bread and then putting them into the food processor until finely ground)

Sauce:
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2-3 Tbsp. coconut milk
2 1/2 Tbsp. hot sauce
4 Tbsp. ketchup
2 Tbsp. agave nectar
1 Tbsp. molasses
1 tsp. mustard powder
1 tsp. garlic powder
pinch cayenne
salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400º.

In a small saucepan, boil about three cups of water. Cut the tempeh into four equal blocks, then cut those blocks into triangles, and carefully slice the triangles in half lengthwise. Put the tempeh in the boiling water and cover, for about fifteen mintes or until softened; drain and rise with cold water and allow to cool.

In a small pot or large skillet, combine all of the sauce ingredients and set aside. Heat just before wings are finished baking.

Make 3 separate bowls to coat your "wings":  1) coconut milk, 2) oat flour and spices, 3) breadcrumbs.  Dip tempeh triangles first in the milk, then in the oat flour, quickly back in the milk, and lastly, coat with breadcrumbs.  Place coated "wings" onto oiled baking sheet.

Spray the tops of the wings with cooking spray, and bake in the oven for ten minutes on each side.  Heat the sauce over a medium heat until just warm. Remove wings from the oven and place into skillet and coat with sauce.  Serve immediately.