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Recipes by Sarah Brown ’09

Enjoy a refreshing mint chocolate smoothie, bake delicious and easy-to-make gluten-free challah bread, and snack on healthy green bean garlic crisps. You’ll find other vegan recipes by Brown at queerveganfood.com. Check out The Queer Vegan Food Cookbook, too.

Raw Mint Chocolate Green Smoothie 

This recipe pays homage to two of Brown’s “all-time favorite” smoothies—Los Angeles restaurant Cafe Gratitude’s “I Am Cool” milkshake, a minty, cacao nib-filled dessert treat, and HipCityVeg’s “Groothie,” a spinach-based smoothie she calls a “Philly favorite.”

1.5 frozen bananas
1 cup fresh spinach
3–4 fresh mint leaves (I used peppermint leaves)
6–7 drops stevia (optional)
3/4–1 cup frozen pineapple
1 tablespoon cacao powder
1 teaspoon maca
2 teaspoon chia seeds
3/4 cup ice

Blend all ingredients. Enjoy topped with raw chocolate shavings, fresh berries, buckwheat groats, granola, goji berries, etc.

Delicious and Easy Gluten-Free Challah
(Serves 6–8)

Brown says she and a friend adapted this recipe from several others in order to make it gluten-free. It’s great, she says, “whether you celebrate Shabbat or just want some seriously awesome gluten-free vegan bread!”

Dough Part 1:

2 1/2 teaspoons gluten-free rapid rise yeast
1 cup warm water
4  1/4 cups gluten-free flour
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar, xylitol, or regular raw sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons canola oil

Dough Part 2 (egg substitute):

3 tablespoons canola oil
3 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the yeast into the water along with a pinch of sugar in a large bowl. Mix these until well combined. Let the mixture rest for a couple of minutes until bubbly and creamy. Add the sugar, salt, and 4 tablespoons of canola oil and mix. Beat the Dough Part 2 egg replacement ingredients with a whisk until it fizzes, and pour this into the yeast mixture. Add the flour, one cup at a time, until the mixture is thick and difficult to stir. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and knead it until it is springy and elastic (about 5–10 minutes).

The ingredients for Dough Part 2 work as the binding agent. Add part 2 to part 1 right before you mix the flour. After kneading, transfer the dough to a lightly oiled bowl. Cover with a slightly damp cloth or plastic wrap and set in a warm place for an hour and a half. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and separate the dough into equal portions, depending on how many challot (challah knots) you care to make. We made 4 pieces and 4 challot. Divide each piece into 3 smaller pieces and roll out into 3 equal-sized strands. Pinch the ends together and braid the dough. Place on a baking sheet or greased pan and bake for 30 minutes.

Dehydrated Green Bean Garlic Crisps

Green beans are an ideal vegetable snack. Shoestring shaped, this easy-to-make healthful treat pairs well with hummus, bean or salsa dips, or guacamole. They also are great on their own as an energizing snack.

Green beans
Coconut oil
Salt
Garlic powder
Herbs and spices (optional) 

Lightly coat green beans with coconut oil, salt, garlic, and other herbs and spices if you wish. Dehydrate for 3–5 hours, depending on desired texture.