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Posts Tagged ‘lime’

Honey Coconut Citrus Salad

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , on January 8, 2013| Leave a Comment »

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Happy 2013, everyone! I hope you had a great holiday season. I know I promised you cookies and such during December but I sort of fell off the radar. I spent most of December crafting my brains out. I think I mentioned that I decided to make most of my Christmas gifts this year?

yeah…I bit off a little more then I could chew and I’m still working on Christmas gifts! I’m in the home stretch though and I’m excited to get back to normal.

The month of December was by far the worst month I’ve had since going vegan over a year ago. I fell off the wagon…a lot. I like, fell off the wagon and then clung on by my finger tips as the wagon sped off going full speed and I was dragged along.

You totally get me, right? Right.

Anyway, I’m pretty sure this was 100% due to the fact I rarely cooked. I did a lot of delievery and take-out food. Pair that will the almost endless supply of cookies I had and my nightly drink of Lake Champlain Mountain Mint Hot chocolate (this is delicious!) with mint chocolate baileys aaaand eating healthy was quickly thrown out the window.

But that’s life and no one is perfect and it’s the beginning of a new year! So let’s kick it off with some super yummy food.

Let’s start things off on a good note, eh? Save the chocolate stuff for later in the week? Pretend for 4 whole days that we have made some sort of resolution about eating healthy and that we’re sticking to it? Cool? Cool.

This citrus salad came about for two reasons: 1. I, like every single person in Boston, have been sick on and off with a cold. Nothing serious. Nothing that gets me out of work. Just kinda blah. Stuffy nose, sore throat, sporadic coughing and sneezing fits and just an overall sense of feeling under the weather. (My friend, Melissa,who is one of those weird people that knows grammar rules, probably just fell into an uncontrollable amount of twitching with all those incomplete sentences! ha!) I wanted something that packed some nutritional punch. Hence, the vitamin C mother-load. And 2. I’ve been eating so much sugar lately that I was actually craving something healthy and light for breakfast.

This salad is a win/win

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Honey Coconut Citrus Salad
mash up of Whole Living and Edible Perspective
serves 1-3

  • 1 Red Grapefruit (peeled and sliced, I sliced mine into wedges)
  • 1 Cara Cara Orange (or any orange if you can’t find Cara Cara. Peeled and sliced into wedges)
  • 2 clementines
  • Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate
  • drizzle of honey or agave nectar (optional. If your grapefruit is super sweet, you may find the sweetener unnecessary.)
  • sprinkling of coconut (sweetened or unsweetened, both work)
  • zest from half a lime and juice from half a lime

Toss the grapefruit, orange, clementines and pom seeds together. Top with honey/agave nectar, lime zest, lime juice and coconut and toss. Eat and feel awesome!

You could also top with toasted coconut or a cinnamon-y granola. I did both and they were delicious. Edible perspective put a scoop of this on yogurt and topped with pistachios which seems super interesting and I may have to try next!

This makes approximately 3 cups of salad. I found most mornings I could eat this over the period of an hour or so. It may be too much to just sit down and eat, though.

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I have to say, this definitely has hit the spot this winter. I have been all about the comfort food so it’s nice to start my morning with something bright and refreshing. So yummy!

PS. I totally bought the Whole Living magazine this recipe is featured in for the vegan chocolate truffles on the cover, not the citrus salad. oh yeah! Hopefully, I’ll be making those soon.

PPS. What is your New Year’s resolution? Leave me a comment below. I still haven’t really figured mine out yet

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Chipotle Lime Salad Bowl

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on August 3, 2012| 1 Comment »

Happy Friday, Everyone!

I wish I could say I was looking forward to this weekend but I am working Saturday and Sunday so I’m not going to get too much of a break! I will be getting to try a new vegan restaurant with my book club, though, which I’m super excited for. Our book this month was Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It is a really well-written fantasy novel. But not like campy fantasy with dragons.  Not that I don’t love a campy fantasy  novel every now and than! This just isn’t one of them. Anyway, now that I have given hands down one of the most vague reviews ever, go check it out.

Know what else you should check out? This music video:

I’ve been meaning to post this video forever because I cannot get enough of this song but it just hasn’t happened. So here! Check them out!

And last but not least, you should not only check out this salad, you should definitely make it! The ingredients and steps sound complicated but you can take short-cuts. For instance, instead of dried beans you could used canned  and in place of corn on the cob, you could used canned or frozen. Or, you can make all the components (rice, black beans, and corn-on-the-cob) a head of time so that when you are ready to make the salad, everything comes together quickly.

Chipotle Lime Salad Bowl
adapted from Tasty Kitchen; measurements based off RFFMBT pyramid
serves 4

1 c. uncooked brown basmati rice
1 c. dried black beans (if you use canned, you want 2 cups)
4 c. romaine lettuce (3-4 hearts of romaine)
4 ears of corn (or 2 cups of frozen)
2 c. cherry tomatoes
2 avocadoes
1 pinch of salt
1 pinch of pepper
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp chili powder

If you are using dried black beans, cover the beans with hot water, put a cover on the pot and bring to boil. Let boil for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 1 hour. Do not remove the cover.

Once you have let the beans ‘fast soak’, drain and refill with water and let the beans simmer for about 1  hour and 45 minutes. Drain remaining liquid and set beans aside.

While the beans are cooking, start the basmati rice.  Follow the packages instructions.

While the rice and beans are cooking, start the corn on the cob. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Place the corn on the cob in the water and boil for about 8 minutes. Let cool.

Once your corn is cool, remove the corn from the cob. Place your corn and 2 cups of beans in a hot skillet with your cumin and chili powder. Cook until warm and well mixed.

To assemble your salad, combine lettuce, rice, beans and corn mixture, tomatoes and avocado and drizzle with dressing.

If you are bringing this for lunch or on the go, chop up 1 cup of lettuce, 1/2 c. tomatoes and 1/4 avocado in one container. Place 1/2 cup of rice and 1 cup of the bean/corn mixture into a smaller, separate container so you can warm it before eating.

Dressing
from CDKitchen.com

  • 1/2 c olive oil
  • 1/4 c fresh lime juice
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 TBSP minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
  • 1/4 c roughlychopped fresh cilantro
  • 2 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste

Whisk all the ingredients together. Can be used right away but tastes best when allowed to sit over night.

Like I said, it’s a bit of a process. I made the rice, beans, corn and dressing on Sunday afternoon. Then, the night before work, I place all my veggies together and all my warm ingredients together. It comes together pretty quickly! It’s a super yummy and filling salad so definitely give it a try!

I also made this by ditching the dressing, mixing the rice and beans with chipotle salsa (found in the mexican food section of your grocery store, next to the chipotle in adobo sauce) instead of the cumin and chili powder, and using the juice of half a lime for my dressing and it was delicious! Since you already have a healthy fat on the salad (avocado), it gets rid of all the olive oil in the dressing but keeps the chipotle lime flavor. Either way, this salad is delicious!

ok, everyone, I hope you have a great weekend!

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Corn, Tomato and Avocado Salad with Honey Lime Dressing

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , on July 10, 2012| 1 Comment »

ahh yes. Another week as arrived. I spent the weekend moonlighting as Minnie Mouse at my niece’s Disney Carnival Birthday party (It was a bazillion degrees out!), working, and brunching it up with some friends at Fiori’s bakery (bagel sandwich with tempeh, avocado and spicy veganaise…so good!). I was hoping to catch up on some much needed sleep but that was the one thing I didn’t manage to fit in! There never seems to be enough hours in the day during the summer.

Anyway, due to the fact that it is, as a mentioned, a bazillion degrees out (and usually humid), my oven has officially been retired for the next few months (with the exception of roasted chickpeas…cause I’m obsessed!). I’ve been eating lots of salads, fruits and lighter meals which is why Wicked Vegan has been light on posts lately. Strawberries and blueberries drizzled with agave and shredded coconut (aka, my breakfast last week) is delicious but not super exciting! How many more weeks ’til fall? I miss the cool weather and comfort food!

Until then, here is one of the many salads I’ve been eating with yummy summer veggies.  Perfect for when you buy a crap load of corn on the cobb because they are 50 cents a piece…

Corn, Avocado and Tomato Salad with Honey Lime Dressing
salad was adapted from For The Love of Cooking;
serves 1-2  

  • 1 cooked corn on the cob (can be cooked however you like- grilled, boiled, etc)
  • a handful of cherry tomatoes, approximately 6, quartered
  • 1/2 an avocado
  • 1/8 c chickpeas (preferably roasted with a little salt and pepper)*
  • 5 strawberries, sliced
  • quinao (optional, about 1/2 cup per person)
Cut the cooked corn kernels off the cob. Toss with the tomatoes, avocado, chickpeas and strawberries. Drizzle Honey Lime Dressing (recipe below) over the corn mixture and let it sit for 10-15 minutes so the flavors mingle  and the avocado breaks down a bit (makes the dish creamier. yum!). Eat as is or mix with quinoa for a heartier dish.
*To roast chickpeas for this recipe, toss one 14 oz can with 2 TBSP of olive oil and salt and pepper (to taste). Roast for 25-30 minutes at 350 degrees. You can also use this cinnamon chickpea recipe with the cinnamon dressing for this salad and it also tastes delicious!

Honey Lime Dressing:

  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 3 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper, to taste
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • Dash of cayenne pepper
Add all the dressing ingredients in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside.

I know this recipe seems to have a lot of ‘approximates’ and vague ingredient amount. It’s because I make it a little different each time. I may have found a really good deal on tomatoes that day but am running short on chickpeas, or I’m having this as a small lunch or I’m throwing quinoa in for dinner. I love it because I almost always have these ingredients in the house during the summer so I can make this  quickly for almost any meal/snack. It’s light for summer, requires minimal stove work (I always make the chickpeas in the evenings when it’s cooler and make one big batch at a time) and it tastes fresh- all the things I require from a summer meal!

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Strawberry Lime Granita

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on June 12, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Last week was a really weird food week. I was in a major food funk.  For the first half of the week, I was completely unmotivated to make anything. One night, I walked into the kitchen and just stood in the middle of it. I unenthusiastically opened cabinets and refrigerator doors but just could not figure out what I was in the mood to make and eat.

I settled on a banana dipped in pb. Then I curled up in bed and caught up on Girls. I may have had an additional spoonful (or two) of peanut butter before I was done my tv marathon. Maybe… And that was my dinner.

Another night, I had some leftover blueberry salsa lying around so I baked a tortilla shell (one of the huge ones) and just ate that and the salsa. Except, there was maybe ¼ cup of salsa left and it was gone before I was even half way through my tortilla. So I just ate a plain, baked tortilla. And that was my dinner for that night.

Nothing says a well rounded meal like a plain, baked tortilla covered in sea salt! oh yeah!

Truthfully, I think my weird food phrase may have had to do with the weather. I had planned out a menu of grilled items and light salads but then it got cold and rainy. Suddenly, curling up in my pjs, eating a banana and pb for dinner and watching hours of Girls seemed way more fun then trying to get my grill lit for a measly veggy burger..when it’s cold…and rainy.  Yuck!

Thankfully, the blogs I follow posted some amazing looking food last week and by the time Saturday rolled around, I was ready to cook again!

The first thing I had to make was Strawberry Lime Granita that Angela posted over at Ohsheglows.com. We all know that I’m obsessed with lime recently (especially when mixed with strawberry) courtesy of my Strawberry Margarita addiction. For breakfast one morning last week I had hot water with lime because it was 10 degrees in my office, I had no tea and because, well, I’m addicted to limes. I’m hoping this dessert will feed my Strawberry Margarita addiction without me having to reach for the booze. That handle of tequila is disappearing a bit faster than I would like!

Strawberry Lime Granita
from Oh She Glows

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound fresh strawberries, hulled
  • 5-6 tbsp fresh lime juice, to taste*
  • 1/3 cup agave nectar
  • 1/2 cup water

1. In a food processor, combine all ingredients and process until smooth. Adjust agave or lime juice to taste.

2. Pour mixture into a 9-inch square pan (or equivalent non-stick pan) and place into freezer for a couple hours, uncovered is fine. After a couple hours, scrape the mixture with a spoon or fork to break it up a little. You can repeat this process in another hour. It should be ready after 4-5 hours of freezing, but this may vary based on your freezer.

3. When it’s firm enough, scrape/shave it with a fork or spoon and serve. Cover and freeze leftovers in the freezer until ready to enjoy.

*As I may have mentioned, oh…8 times?…I’m really into lime so I added the full 6 TBSPs of lime juice. It turned out very sour and almost overpowers the strawberry. I’m clearly ok with that as I’ve been practically squirting lime juice directly into my mouth but you may want to start with 3 or 4 TBSPs and work up. Just a little warning

This dessert is perfect for the summer! It’s cold and refreshing but doesn’t have the heaviness of ice cream. Plus, won’t ruin any diets your on. Win all around!

Now can someone please tell me what I’m supposed to think of Adam and Hanna on Girls? I can’t decide how I feel about their relationship.

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Blueberry Salsa

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on June 1, 2012| 9 Comments »

This has definitely been a week of celebrating! The most fun was celebrating my friend, Melinda’s, birthday.

If you read this blog often enough, you know Melinda is my fellow foodie friend. As such, I feel like I should give a little shout out to her:

Melinda and I have known each other since we were youngin’s in college. We met at a find-a-roommate night: I needed a roommate because my freshman one ended up not working out and Melinda needed one cause she had just transferred. We bonded over her purple vans and ended up rooming together off and on through college and after we graduated.

What can I say, a good pair of shoes can change your life.

We’ve come a long way since we rocked the vans and ate ramen noodles in our dorm room. I think one of the reasons we’re still hanging out (besides the fact that we’re both awesome!) is that our interest in food has weirdly enough followed a similar path. Granted, Melinda is always a step or so ahead of me buuut…she’s a year older then me. So, you know, with age comes wisdom? Or something like that…

Anyway, so it goes without saying that to celebrate Melinda’s birthday, we cooked. Obviously!

Homemade veggy burgers, grilled veggies and potatoes and almond joy cake truffles. Yes, please! Oh yes, there was also dancing in the rain, some speeches, drinking and Melinda as grill master. All good things!

Of course, I’ve already made and posted most of what we ate which meant I need to incorporate a recipe that I hadn’t shared with you.

Introducing Blueberry salsa aka, our appetizer:

Blueberry Lime Salsa
 from How Sweet Eats (aka, the queen of fruit salsas)

  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 5 medium strawberries
  • 1/4 red onion
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest
  • juice of two limes
  • 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves
  • 1 avocado, chopped
  • salt and pepper to taste

put blueberries, strawberries, onion, lime zest, lime juice and cilantro in a food processor. Pulse 5-6 times for a chunky salsa or longer if you want it smoother. Pour into a bowl and fold in the chopped avocado. Season with salt and pepper.

Basically, this was just an excuse to feed my new lime addiction. It’s weird because I loath lemons and anything with lemon in it. But limes? Limes I can’t get enough of! I had a ton lying around because I’ve been drinking lime water like its going out of style (and possibly margaritas…)so obviously, blueberry lime salsa was just begging to be made.

Anyway, you will notice there aren’t any action shots with this salsa. It’s because someone who was in charge of the chips *cough Amelia cough* took their sweet time arriving. By the time the chips did arrive, we were so famished and weak from hunger that we bypassed the photo sesh and just dug right in.

And it was delicious! Totally worth the excruciatingly long wait for chips and it was the perfect light, summery appetizer!

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Strawberry margarita cupcake

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , on May 16, 2012| 5 Comments »

These are the cupcakes, everyone. THE cupcakes I dreamed about making for Cinco de Mayo and couldn’t because I was sick. But I was not going to let a little bug prevent me from making them.

And they turned out delicious!

They earned me a hug from my roommate’s vegan friend, who seriously has the worst vegan diet I’ve ever heard of. He practically lives off power bars. So clearly, he enjoyed them!

They also earned me glowing reviews from my other roommate’s special guy friend. This is high praise because he is a hardcore meat eater. He even hosts a ginormous bacon festival every year. Anyway, he really liked them, too!

So, clearly, they get the non-vegan and vegan seal of approval, which basically means they’re awesome.

But, I need to give some high praises to How Sweet Eats, because I got the idea from her in two ways: 1. I’m SO addicted to her Strawberry margaritas- the traditional strawberry marg and the coconut strawberry marg. She’s turning me into a lush! and 2. She made a gin and tonic cake, which inspired me to turn it into margarita cupcakes. I salute her!

Strawberry Margarita Cupcakes

Cakes
adapted by How Sweet Eats 

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup Earth Balance vegan butter, at room temperature
  • 1 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 4  Ener-G “egges”
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons freshly zested lime rind
  • 1/4 cup tequila, plus more for brushing the cakes
  • 1/4 cup non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
  • juice of 1 lime
Frosting
from All Recipes
  • 1 cup fresh strawberries
  • 1 cup vegan Earth Balance butter
  • 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted (I left this out and just used the 2 1/2 cups below. I don’t love super sweet frosting.)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Mix flour, baking powder and salt together in a bowl and set aside.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat butter on medium speed until creamy. Add in sugar and beat on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in each “egg” one at a time, beating until fully incorporated before adding the next. Add in vanilla and lime zest and mix.

With the mixer on low speed, add in half of the dry ingredients. Add in tequila, non-dairy milk and lime juice, mixing until combined. Add remaining flour and beat until just combined.

Line cupcake pan with liners and fill cupcakes 2/3 full. My cupcakes didn’t rise too much. Bake cupcakes for 25-30 minutes. When  you remove them from the oven, poke holes in the cupcake with a fork or knife. Brush tequila on the cupcakes.

While the cupcakes are cooking, you can start on the frosting. Place strawberries in a blender; puree until smooth. Transfer strawberry puree to a saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil, stirring often, until puree is reduced by at least half, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool completely.
If you want your strawberry mixture super smooth, at this point you can strain it through a fine mesh strainer to remove all the seeds and any lumps that my have remained. I did this and loved not having the seeds in the frosting but it also makes a huge mess so you can easily leave this step out.
Beat butter with an electric mixer in a bowl until light and fluffy. Beat 1 cup confectioners’ sugar into butter until just blended. Beat 2 tablespoons strawberry puree and vanilla extract into butter mixture until just blended. Repeat with 1 cup confectioners’ sugar, followed by 2 tablespoons strawberry puree. (repeat the sugar, strawberry puree cycle one more time if you are using the full 3 1/2 c. of confectioner sugar) Beat last 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar into mixture until just blended.
The tequila in the cupcakes is super subtle. It’s the lime and the strawberry that make the  most impression and they are delicious together! I’m especially a huge fan of the lime cake. It’s super light and summery. I will definitely be bringing this to a future BBQ or summer dinner.
Cupcakes on Weds? I thought it would help get you through the week!

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