This past weekend I had the honor and privilege to be a guest chef at the Connecting the Dots event, in Santa Ana, put on by Living Ubuntu. I was humbled to be invited to feed and teach amongst this amazing line-up.
I could spend all night writing about the inspiring speeches given throughout the day. But I know you are here for "just the food" so I will say this...please visit the Living Ubuntu Connecting the Dots: Finding Compassion Through Our Differences event page and click around. There were five amazing young people (Jose Trinidad Castenada, Nyajouk "Sunday" Kuany, Amina Mohamed, Arthur (Trey) Carlisle, Audrey Waight) speaking about everything from immigration reform, to the housing crisis, to the refugee crisis, to genocide, to racism. The future is in good hands!
After a brief intermission we were able to enjoy some fruit and cupcakes (Thanks, Susan! They were amazing!) and then we settled in for the second session. It started with a video presentation by Aph Ko, followed by three more inspiring speakers...Asian American Studies and Animal Rights Professor, Claire Kim; iACT’s COO and Camp Darfur exhibit, Katie-Jay Scott; and Farm Sanctuary's Gene Baur.
Connecting. The. Dots. It truly is incredible how virtually every social justice issue overlaps. It's like one big giant venn diagram of compassion.
Saying this was an important event is an extreme understatement. It was though provoking, and even though it was gut-wrenching and heart breaking at times, it was truly inspiring. I hope to be a part of more events like this in the future, and I hope there are many.
My participation was to feed the folks. And teach them a little bit about vegan cooking in the process. The goal was to create a satisfying one dish meal that was low-footprint, soy free, gluten free, nut free, budget friendly, and made with ingredients one could get at any traditional market. Did I mention I also had to make enough food to feed up to 200 people? So, yeah, it also had to be something easy to serve, and be able to be made ahead of time. So what did I come up with? A Green Goddess Bowl!
Tanaka Farms was generous enough to donate produce for the event, and myself and two other volunteers spent all day Saturday chop-chop-chopping away! The reason I went with this particular dish, is because it's really six complete and individual recipes that not only work together really well in this bowl, but they also all work independently of one another as side dishes or components to other dishes, making this recipe(s) a great one for make-ahead meals.
Roasted Vegetables
1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, drained, reserving the liquid and 12 individual chickpeas for use in the Green Goddess Sauce
2 cups riced cauliflower
2 cups finely chopped broccoli
3 cups diced sweet potato
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
Preheat oven to 375 F. Toss all ingredients together until well coated. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a reusable baking mat, or parchment. Roast for 45 minutes, tossing to flip about halfway through.
Yield: About 5 cups
Coconut Cilantro Lime Rice
2 cups long grain white rice, like Jasmine
1 (15 ounces) can full fat coconut milk
1 ½ cups water
juice of one fresh lime
zest of 1 fresh lime
1 bunch cilantro, chopped (about 1 cup)
salt to taste
Thoroughly rinse rice. Add rice, coconut milk, and water to the bowl of your rice cooker and press start. (Alternatively, in a pot with a tight fitting lid, bring water and coconut milk to a boil, reduce to a simmer, add rice, cover and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until all liquid has been absorbed, fluff with fork.) Once rice is cooked, stir in lime zest, juice, cilantro, and salt.
Yield: About 6 cups
Seasoned Lentils
2 cups water
1 cup dry green or black lentils
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
Add water, lentils and bay leaf to a pot. Slowly bring to a simmer and gently simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, adding water as needed, until tender, but whole and not mushy. Strain and return to the pot. Stir in garlic and lime juice.
Yield: About 2 ½ cups
Green Goddess Sauce
1/4 cup room temperature aquafaba (liquid from a can of chickpeas)
12 individual chickpeas (reserved from above)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
½ cup fresh curly parsley
½ cup fresh cilantro, stems and leaves
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves
2 stalks of green onion, roots removed
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon garlic
salt, to taste
Add aquafaba, chickpeas, vinegar, and mustard to the cup of your blender (you can also use a large tumbler or tall wide mouth glass jar.) Blend until smooth and white. Slowly add the oil in a slow, thin stream while the blender is running. The mixture will thicken and become
like mayo. Add in the remaining ingredients and pulse until
blended, but still has a little bit of texture. Store in an
airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Yield: About 1 ½ cups
Massaged Bitter Greens
2 bunches bitter greens, like dandelion greens, arugula, collards, kale, etc., chopped into small bite-sized pieces (about 8 cups)
1/3-1/2 cup Green Goddess Sauce
Add greens and sauce to a mixing bowl. Using your hands massage the sauce into the greens until coated and tender.
Yield: About 5 cups
Sweet Pickled Fennel & Onions
1 medium red onion, sliced paper thin (julienne)
1 bulb fennel , sliced paper thin (chop up a few of the fennel leaves to add color and extra flavor)
1 cup rice vinegar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
Add ingredients to an airtight container and give it a
good shake to mix. Place in the refrigerator
overnight to pickle.
Yield: About 3 cups
Seeds & Sprinkles
¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds with shells removed)
¼ cup sunflower seed kernels
¼ cup currants (or raisins, or any other dried fruit)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon black pepper
Mix together seeds and currants. In a dry pan, toast over medium heat until fragrant. DO NOT BURN. This should take no more than 2 minutes. Transfer to a small container with lid, add in the remaining ingredients while still warm and shake to coat.
Yield: About ¾ cup
