AGUACHILE VERDE WITH SETAS

Today I'm finally going to share this long expected recipe: Aguachile verde with setas.

Now, if you're Mexican, you're probably nodding your head with acceptance (I have never met a Mexican who doesn't love aguachile.) If you're not Mexican, chances are you've never heard about aguachile. It is definitely not one of those dishes you find in Mexican restaurants abroad. Aguachile is a typical dish in the west coast area, usually made with shrimps. It is important that the shrimps are really fresh, since they are cooked only in lemon juice. This is the reason why aguachile is more typical in the coast, where the seafood is always fresh.

But enough with the seafood. In this vegan version of aguachile, instead of shrimps, we are using setas (oyster mushrooms.) Otherwise the recipe has all the same ingredients as the typical aguachile de camarón. This recipe is originally from Kimberly Rosales from @vivaverduras.

If you try out this recipe, make sure to start the preparation early enough. The setas have to be marinating some 4 hours before eating, so if you want to have your aguachile by the lunch time, you better start preparing it in the morning.

Otherwise there is nothing too complicated in this recipe. All you need is a blender or a food processor to prepare your green salsa and a big bowl to marinate your ingredients. Some cold beer and nice music in the background, according to my experience, are also a nice addition to the cooking process. ;)

Here comes the recipe!

AGUACHILE VERDE WITH SETAS (one big bowl)

Salsa:

2 chiles serranos
1 clove garlic
1/4 white onion
4 limes
1 cup fresh coriander
salt
black pepper

Aguachile:

500g setas (oyster mushrooms)
2 cucumbers
1 red onion
5 limes 
salt
black pepper
alga nori seaweed

1. Clean the setas by using wet paper towel, do not rinse them with water. Cut the stems away and then using your hands, pull the setas into small pieces (similar size as small shrimps.)
2. Place the setas into a big bowl, squeeze the lemon juice and add some salt. Leave sit in the fridge at least 4 hours, or if possible, overnight.
3. To prepare the salsa, place the chiles, garlic, onion, limes and coriander into food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper according to your taste.
4. Cut the cucumbers and red onion into fine slices. Place them into another bowl and add the green salsa. Let sit in fridge for 2-4 hours.
5. Finally mix the marinated setas with other ingredients, add salt and pepper to your taste and finish with some chopped seaweed.
6. Serve with tostadas, avocado and fresh coriander.

TOP VEGAN SNACKS

Today I'm going to present you some of my favorite vegan snacks! Are you ready?

I strongly dislike the expression "healthy snacks". There are couple of reasons for this. First of all, the words "healthy" and "snacks" just don't seem to really need each other. Why not just say snacks? The idea of snacks is that they are easy to eat and taste good, right?

Another reason is that I think the words easily bring to mind an image of a huge plate of raw vegetables (nothing wrong with those though, delicious!) or a granola bar, something that in some intuitive level just feels wrong. Healthy snacks should't be something that you can imagine only women from yogurt commercials liking. (They would eat them still wearing their yoga pants and smiling little bit too much.)

Anyway. This is why I prefer to use the expession "vegan snacks". They are green and might be a little bit healthier than potato chips, but equally enjoyable! (And also highly addictive.)

The two snacks I'm presenting today I make quite often myself. The awesome part is that they don't require long preparation or effort, and they do taste awesome! The ingredients can usually be stored in your frigde or freezer, and when ever a snacky mood appears, they are fast and easy to prepare.

Here come the recipes!

KALE CHIPS

1 bag of kale
spray oil
salt

1. Preheat the oven to 300F (150°C).
2. Place the kale on an oven plate and spray with a thin layer of oil.
3. Add some salt (and other spices if wanted: paprika powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper, according to your personal taste!)
4. Cook for 30-40 mins. You can turn the kales couple of times during the cooking if needed.
5. Once the kale chips are all crispy, they are ready. Enjoy!

EDAMAMES

1 bag edamame beans
salt

1. Heat water in a pot until boiling.
2. Add salt into the water and then the frozen edamames. Cook 10-15 minutes or until the beans are soft.
3. Pour out the water and add some salt on top. Enjoy while warm!

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What are your favorite vegan / healthier snacks?

VEGAN AVOCADO PASTA

It's time to reveal the recipe for one of my favorite dishes ever: avocado pasta.

What makes this avocado pasta so special? Some years ago it became a huge hit in Finland, everybody were making it! Now, every time I mention this, people wonder if avocado is a typical ingredient in the Finnish kitchen. NO, it definitely is not. Avocados are usually very expensive and hardly ever in their optimal condition, and that is probably one reason that makes this dish even more appealing for Finnish people. But, since I happen to live in Mexico, I'm going to enjoy this recipe as often as I possibly can. God bless avocados, seriously.

The original recipe is from a Finnish chef called Alexander Gullichsen, who, according to the story, made the pasta for his wife. So it's also some sort of a love story, and who doesn't like those!

Well, the couple has divorced ever since, but the pasta doesn't stop being insanely good! The original recipe is not vegan though, since it has two different types of cheeses in it, but no worries, I have pimped the recipe to be 100% plant-based, and, included a vegan parmesan recipe for you as well. Because as we all very well know, as cherry belongs on top of the cake, so does parmesan on top of pasta.

I have replaced the cheese in the recipe with nutritional yeast (levadura nutricional), a miracle ingredient that makes things taste like cheese. At the moment you can buy nutritional yeast (at least here in Mexico) in vegan stores and some ecological food stores (I bought mine in Bocados de Vida.) The vegan parmesan is also made using nutritional yeast, and another miracle ingredient, hemp seeds. Try it out and get surprised!

Here comes the recipe!


AVOCADO PASTA (2-3 servings)

250g spaghetti
2-3 avocados
2-4 cloves garlic
1-2 chilis
1 lime
1/2 cup fresh basil
2 tbsp olive oil
salt 
black pepper
1/2 nutritional yeast

1. Chop the garlic and chili peppers into small cubes and mix them in a bowl with the lime juice.
2. Cut the avocados into cubes, add them into the bowl and mix.
3. Add chopped basil, and nutritional yeast. Mix.
4. Cook the spaghetti al dente (1-2 minutes less than in the instructions). The boiling water should be as salty as sea water. Take 1/2 cup of the boiling water aside and add it into the bowl with other ingredients. Stir everything together.
5. Strain the spaghetti and add it into the bowl. Mix.
6. Finally add salt, pepper and olive oil. Sprinkle some parmesan on top of the served pasta right before eating. Enjoy right away!

VEGAN PARMESAN

1/2 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp sea salt

1. Put all the ingredients into a blender/food processor and blend lightly using the burst, for some 10-15 secs (or until desired consistency).
2. Store in a glass jar in room temperature up to 3 months.

PIZZA WITH MASA MADRE - SOURDOUGH PIZZA

This post is made in collaboration with Panina, a local one woman bread business, focused on sourdough baking.

A while ago we got together with Paulina from Panina in order to make a delicious vegan sourdough pizza. Until this moment I had always thought that the problem with most vegan pizzas is the cheese (sometimes the cheese just isn't that great, tbh), but making this pizza with Paulina made me realize it is all about the base! Tasty pizza dough is really the most important part (also the tomato sauce, keep reading!)

Then what is the secret for a tasty pizza dough? While there can be many answers to the question, one of them seems quite obvious to me now: the sourdough, in Spanish known as masa madre.

What exactly is Masa Madre and why is everybody talking about it right now?

I first heard about masa madre from a friend about one year ago, and my first thought was that it was some sort of a new trend. Which, partially is true, sourdough baking is really the trend in the baking world right now (or some years already). However, the sourdough baking is really an ancient thing. It is one of those things that used to be done a lot back in the days, then started to vanish for some time and at the moment is kinda coming back. But why exactly? Why are so many people crazy about sourdough baking?

First of all, sourdough can be a healthier option to bread that is made with yeast (levadura). The sourdough starter is a fermented mixture of flour and water, and contains lots of naturally occurred bacteria. The long fermentation and naturally occurring acids help to break down gluten, which makes it easier for the body to digest and absorb.

Another factor is the taste. Sourdough gives bread a special flavor and texture, a result that you simpy cannot reach by using normal commercial yeast. To put it short: it is much slower process but totally worth it!

Now, everybody knows good bread is not something that is typically sold in every street corner here in Mexico (unlike tacos, those are sold in every street corner!) This is the reason I first met Paulina, the founder of Panina. Paulina is a Mexican chef with a newly found passion for making bread, and with a mission of making better bread here in Guadalajara. She started her sourdough bread business this year and not only sells bread but also offers online classes on How to make sourdough. 

(Take a look at Paulina's online classes here.)

We decided to combine our superpowers with Paulina: her bread making skills and my pizza eating skills, hehe (it's not a joke though). Also, as I was saying, I was curious to know how vegan cheese tastes on a good quality pizza, made with love and patience from sourdough. We used a vegan mozzarella from a Mexican company called Heartbest. What I was happy to notice is that when the pizza is well made since the dough, the less important it  becomes to add lots of cheese and other "fatty" ingredients on top: all you need is a tasty tomato sauce, some good olive oil, little bit of cheese and what ever other ingredients you want to add. All and all: hands down the best vegan pizza I have tasted.

If you want to try this pizza at home, here comes the recipe!


TOMATO SAUCE

400g tomatoes without peel and seeds
10g garlic
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp basil
4 tbsp oive oil
salt
pepper

1. In a saucepan put water to boil with a pinch of salt. Once boiling, add the tomatoes for 2 minutes, take them out and transfer to a bowl with water and some ice to stop the cooking.
2. Remove the skin with a small knife or using your hands, cut each tomato in half and remove the seeds. Set aside.
3. Cut the garlic into very small pieces. Set aside.
4. In a saucepan, add the olive oil and garlic and let brown very little using low heat.
5. Add the tomatoes, oregano and finely chopped basil. Add salt and pepper to your taste.
6. Let cook over low heat for 40 minutes.

SOURDOUGH PIZZA CRUST (2 medium pizzas)

450g white strong flour
50g wheat flour
280g water
100g sourdough starter
10g salt

1. Mix flour, water and starter, leave to stand for 1 hour. Add salt. Let rest for half an hour. Make 3 folds every half hour.
2. Divide the dough in two with the help of a cutter, give each piece a rounded shape with the help of a little flour.
3. Leave to rest for 2 hours and then stretch the dough into a pizza shape.
4. Bake at 240°C for about 5 minutes. Carefully remove from the oven. Add the tomato sauce and other ingredients of your choice, and bake at the same temperature for another 5 minutes or until the crust is golden brown.

(In our pizza we used mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, black olives, fresh basil and zucchini. On top you can add some olive oil and oregano, and some spicy salsa or chili flakes! ;))

Would you like to make a collaboration with Rebel Food Club? Send your ideas in e-mail or dm me in Instagram! Let's make it happen!

SUPER EASY ALMOND BUTTER

Today presenting you guys something very special: Home made almond butter, that is just almost too good to be true!

Confession time: Almond is probably my number one favorite plant-based ingredient ever. Let me tell you why.

First of all, almonds are suuuper healthy! They are full of fiber, healthy fats, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Eating almonds is good for you in so many ways, in fact they are recommended to be eaten daily as a part of healthy (vegan) diet.

Secondly, almonds can usually be found everywhere. No matter which part of the world you go, or any supermarket, they always sell almonds. And I love it. Also, almonds can be used to make almost anything: milk, oil, butter, flour, paste, and it can be consumed both internally and externally.

Thirdly, and some may say, most importantly, almonds are delicious! Personally, I love almonds in every possible way: I can easily eat them as snacks between the meals just as they are, I love to drink almond milk (together with oat milk it is my top plant-based milk choice), but more than anything else, I love almond butter!

For some time already I knew almond butter was delicious, but what I only recently discovered is that it is also ridiculously easy to make home yourself. Like, sooo easy. The only condition is that you have to have a powerful blender/food processor, and some patience (ok, maybe a lot of patience.)

Here comes the recipe.

ALMOND BUTTER

2 cups almonds
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp agave syrup
1 tbsp coconut oil

1. On a pan (or oven, 175°C/350F) toast the almonds over low heat for 10 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and let the almonds cool down for some 10 minutes.
3. Put the almonds into a food processor/blender and turn it on. Blend until creamy (might take up to 20 minutes or even more, be patient!)
4. Once the butter is creamy, add the spices and oil, if needed (I usually add the oil to make the butter smoother).
5. Blend until all the ingredients are combined, and transfer the butter into a glass jar covered with lid. Store in refrigerator up to 4 weeks.

RUISLEIPÄ - FINNISH STYLE RYE BREAD

One of the things a Finnish person is said to miss most when they are abroad is rye bread, ruisleipä. And I cannot say that I'm personally any different in this case. I love good rye bread!

When it comes to Finnish food culture, I cannot honestly say I miss too many things. In general, Finnish food is quite simple and humble, with neutral flavors and simple ingredients. Nothing too passionate or special (sorry guys). But there are a couple of things you simply cannot find this side of the world, that I sometimes catch myself missing, and one of them, without a doubt, Finnish rye bread.

Some months ago I was curious to see if I could find anything that even remotely looks or tastes like rye bread, here in Guadalajara. Now, obviously I didn't try in Soriana or Walmart, but I kept my eyes open in places like Superama, City Market, Fresko and other smaller grocery stores that tend to have more imported and exotic products. My boyfriend was sweet to get excited when ever seeing a bread that was slightly darker than Bimbo pan, maybe this one? Sorry baby, not even close.

After a while I had to admit myself rye bread seems to be something that simply does not exist here in Mexico, not even in the tiniest boutiques of carefylly selected products from the world. I accepted the reality and decided I'd have to make the bread myself.

Now, anybody who knows good rye bread knows also that it will never be the same without a good sour dough base. (In Finland, traditionally the sour dough for rye bread is inherited in the family and can sometimes be generations old! Nowadays this tradition is almost vanished and most rye bread is simply bought ready made in supermarkets.)

However, I decided to try out a simple recipe of rye bread without the sour dough. I took a look at some recipes I could find online and made my own version based on them. The bread turned out ok, it does taste like rye bread and for someone like me who hasn't had good, proper dark bread in a long time, it totally works just perfectly to get the feeling of it. 

I did stay curious trying out the same recipe with a sour dough base, which I think I will have to try next. Meanwhile, when ever I feel like the need for rye bread, this recipe is definitely the way to go! 

Here it comes.

FINNISH STYLE RYE BREAD (12-15 pieces)

2 cups (5dl) water

2 tsp salt

2 tbsp syrup

25g yeast (or 1 bag, 11g dry yeast)

3 cups (7,5dl) rye flour

2/3 cup (1,5dl) wheat flour

1. Heat the water slightly warmer than body temperature. Add salt and syrup and the yeast mixed with 1/2 cup of flour.

2. Leave the mix sit for 15 minutes in a warm place covered with a towel.

3. Mix the rye flour with the wheat flour and add the flours into the dough. No need to knead the dough, just lightly mix until combined. Leave sit in a warm place under a towel for at least 30 minutes.

4. Using a lot of rye flour (the dough is really loose and gets stuck in your hands otherwise) make a small ball in your hand and then flatten it. Place the pieces on the oven plate and using your hands, shape them more if needed. Cover with a towel and let sit for 15 minutes.

5. Using a fork, prick some holes on top of each bread and then bake the breads for 18-20 minutes in 225°C (440F).

BANANA BREAD WITH CHOCOLATE AND PECAN NUTS

Today's rebellious recipe is simple and delicious banana bread with chocolate and pecan nuts!

Ever since buying the new oven, I have been making true all of my baking fantasies that I had accumulated during the pre-oven period, for example this banana bread. Now, I happen to live with someone who love love looooves banana bread, so I have now made this bread some four times in total, every time trying to master the recipe from the previous time.

Now I can say the recipe is just perfect: the bread is moist, chocolaty, nutty, sweet but slightly salty, a perfect harmony of flavors! Try it out and see for yourself, here comes the recipe.


BANANA BREAD

4 medium ripe bananas
1/4 cup almond milk
1/4 vegetable oil
1/2 brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
2 cups wheat flour
75g pecan nuts
50g dark vegan chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 175°C (350F).
2. In a bowl, mash the bananas with a fork. Add milk, oil, vanilla and sugar and mix everything.
3. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
4. Cut the chocolate and half of the nuts with a sharp knife into small pieces.
5. Combine all the ingredients and stir with a wooden spoon. Do not overmix!
6. Transfer the batter into a pan covered with oil and decorate with banana slices and pecan nuts.
7. Bake for 45-60 minutes.

CINNAMON ROLLS

Hello dear readers! After some creative break, Rebel Food Club is back. This time sweeter than ever, since I'm about to present you my favorite recipe for these mouthwatering cinnamon rolls.

For some time already, I gotta admit, I had been daydreaming of making vegan cinnamon rolls. But since I didn't have an oven in my apartment, I didn't have a chance to give it a try. (Seriously, could someone explain to me why Mexican people don't use ovens?!) Anyway, last week we finally went to buy a small countertop oven, and that's when the fun begun!

Ever since I have been making these cinnamon rolls at least 4 times and pizza couple of times. Obviously trying to improve the recipes each time. I didn't even rememeber how much I love oven-cooked food!

When it comes to cinnamon rolls (or baking in general) I  used to be one of those people who believe that you cannot really make delicious stuff without eggs, butter and milk. Boy, was I wrong. First of all, eggs are in most cases just extra ingredient or can be easily replaced. Butter can be replaced with margarine or vegan butter, and milk - do I even need to say this? Milk can be replaced with plant-based alternative, just choose your favorite from tens of different options!

Now, here it comes: Vegan cinnamon rolls, easy and delicious!


CINNAMON ROLLS (20 pieces)

DOUGH

1 cup almond milk (or other plant-based milk)
1 bag (11g) dry yeast
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp cardamom
1 tsp salt
3-4 cups wheat flour
70g dairy free margarine (or vegan butter)

FILLING

50g dairy free margarine
cinnamon
brown sugar

GLACING

1/2 cup powdered sugar
1-2 tbsp full fat coconut milk (or other plant-based milk)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Making the dough:

1. Heat the almond milk in microwave oven (to 40-45 celcius degrees, a little bit warmer than hand-warm). Be sure not to heat the milk too much; in over 50 degrees the yeast will die and doesn't work properly!
2. Mix 1/2-1 cup of flour and dry yeast and add the mixture into the milk. Stir thoroughly.
3. Add sugar, salt and cardamom and mix.
4. Add rest of the flour little by little and stir with a wooden spoon or by hand.
5. Knead the dough some 5 minutes.
6. Melt the margarine in microwave oven (in 10-15 second cycles) and add it into the dough.
7. Cover the dough with a towel and let sit in a warm place for at least 30 minutes, or as long as it has doubled its size.

8. Knead the dough for some 5 minutes more, and then start flatten it using a rolling pin (If you don't own one, you can use an empty wine bottle instead! Just use butter paper between the bottle and the dough, master tip, tested by me ;)) Make a rectangular shape (about 30x40cm) of the dough.

9. Make a mixture of melted margarine and cinnamon and spread it on top of the dough. Add sugar as much as you want (I used about 3-4 tbsp)

10. Starting from the longer side of the dough, start rolling it into a tight wrap. Leave the seam underneath the wrap. Using a sharp knife, cut about 2-3 cm slices of the wrap and place the pieces on the table, leaving some space between the pieces.

11. When all the pieces are cut, place a towel on top of them and leave sit for some 15 minutes.

12. Place the rolls on top of paper covered oven plate, leaving minimum 5 cm space between them (the rolls with grow and spread in the oven). If you want, you can use a mixture of water and sugar to spread on top of the rolls (instead of the traditional egg spread) but also it works just fine without it.

13. Bake in 225 celsius degrees on the middle rack for some 8-12 minutes, depenging on your oven. When the rolls have stopped growing and are getting a nice golden tone, they sould be ready. Make sure to not bake them too long or they might get a bit dry.

14. Meanwhile the rolls are in the oven, you can prepare the glacing. Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Depending on how thick or thin glacing you want, feel free to vary the amount of the ingredients.

15. Spread the glacing on top of the rolls and let sit for a while before serving. (For some people, including myself, the rolls might get too sweet with the glacing, so if you want to test both options, leave some rolls without the glacing and see which option you prefer!)

(You can store the rolls in a plastic container / bag to keep them fresh and soft for later. If you want to eat them next days, a quick heat in a microwave oven (10-15 sec) works perfectly to make the rolls like freshly baked again!)

LET'S MAKE THE STEW!

So, as passionate as I may be in my own kitchen, I have to confess that I don't actively follow too many food bloggers, not to talk about food trends. In general, I don't usually follow trends too much, so when ever something happens to cross my path randomly (even if it was a super old trend already and I'm barely finding out about it) I take it as a sign from the universe.

"Niina, check this out." (That is the voice of the universe)

So the other day I was searching something compeltely different in the wonderful world of internet, when I stumbled upon this recipe of The Stew. Apparently it is a recipe that became huge last year, originally by New York Times chef Alison Roman.

Then what is The Stew and why is it so special? I saw some pictures in Instagram with the tag #thestew and I don't know, just felt like I really need to try it out. Also a quick check in the ingredients list made me pretty convinced it would be a dish I could only love: garlic, ginger, turmeric, coconut milk... Say no more!

The main ingredient of The Stew is chickpea. The flavor base is made with onion, garlic and ginger, and of course, plenty of olive oil. Spices are pretty simple: salt, pepper, turmeric and chili. The "secret" of the stew is that it combines the crispy (or more like crunchy) chickpeas with the soft and mushy ones, so you get kinda two in one with this dish. The stew needs to be cooked slowly, until the chickpeas are starting to break and this way give more structure and flavor to the stew.

I kinda love the idea of this dish, because I think it's one of those dishes that are "accidentally vegan." So basically someone came up with a recipe, delicious and complete, without realizing that it actually doesn't need any animal products at all! (I like the idea of plant-based food being called just food, and not always vegan food.)

Today I made this dish the first time ever, and yes, fell desperately in love right away. Definitely gonna keep on making it in the future. The only difference I made from the original recipe is that I didn't have "the green part" that is supposed to be added in the end, so I added some basil instead, just a bit on top. And it actually worked pretty nicely! Since "the green" was missing, I cooked some rice and ate the stew with the rice, which I can also recommend, even if you added all the green parts.

Anyway, I hope you are ready. Here comes the recipe!

THE STEW by Alison Roman (4-5 servings)

1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp ginger, chopped
salt
black pepper
1,5 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp dried chili flakes
2 cans chickpeas
2 cans full fat coconut milk
2 cups vegetable stock
1 bunch Swiss chard/spinach/kale
1 cup mint leaves (or basil leaves)

for serving: yogurt and toasted pita bread (optional)

1. Chop the onion, garlic and ginger. Heat the olive oil in a pan or large pot and add the chopped ingredients into the pan.
2. Add salt and pepper and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.
3. Add turmeric, chili flakes and the chickpeas. Add some salt and pepper and cook for 8-10 minutes, until the chickpeas start getting crispy. Take about one cup of chickpeas aside for garnish.
4. With a wooden spoon, crush some of the chickpeas a little more and then add the coconut milk and the vegetable stock. Cook for 30-35 minutes, until the stew starts to thicken.
5. Finally add the greens into the stew, and depending on what you're using, cook for 3-7 minutes more (spinach and Swiss chard cook fast, kale a little slower)
6. Divide the stew into bowls, and top with the reserved chickpeas, mint/basil leaves and vegan yogurt (or extra coconut milk). Enjoy with cooked rice or toasted pita bread.

Did you try to make The Stew? Leave a comment below :)