The Ultimate Vegan Spa Retreat, Plus Recipes!

APPETIZER

Mushroom Ceviche

4–6 servings

Dating back to Inca times, ceviche is a very popular South American dish, where raw fish is marinated in acidic lime juice, salt and chile peppers, then served without being cooked. The Farm’s recipe replaces the fish with an assortment of mushrooms, but the light, refreshing flavor, with a hint of chile, is the same.

Ingredients

For ceviche

• 3 cup mushrooms (king oyster, shiitake, maitake, enokitake, and/or button mushrooms), sliced
• 2 cups young coconut meat, julienned
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 cup ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 3 chili, seeded and minced
• 4 tbsp cilantro, chopped
• 4 tbsp basil, chopped
• 4 tbsp fresh oregano, chopped
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 1 tsp liquid aminos
• 4 tbsp lime juice
• Black pepper, salt, cayenne, to taste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup bell pepper, diced
• 1 medium-sized cucumber, diced
• 1 mango, diced

For marinade

• 3 tbsp tamari
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced

For assembly

• 6 tsp coconut sour crème sauce (see recipe below)

Method

1. Mix the marinade ingredients and marinate the mushrooms in the mixture for at least 2 to 3 hours.
2. Drain mushrooms and combine thoroughly with all other ingredients.
3. Serve in a cocktail glass with a drizzle of sour crème and topped with a few corn and chili crackers (if desired). Sprinkle on some chopped fresh herbs and some thinly sliced onions, if required.

Coconut Sour Crème Sauce

4 cups

Ingredients:

• 1 cup cashew nuts, soaked
• 3 cups coconut meat
• ¼ cup lemon juice
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp salt
• ¼ cup dill or cilantro, chopped (optional)

Method

1. Put cashew nuts, coconut meat, lemon juice, honey and sea salt in a blender. Blend until smooth.
2. Add the herbs, then pulse once.
3. Serve with appetizers, salads or main courses.

 

SOUP

Bulanglang Soup

4–6 servings

This is a typical Batangas recipe that takes ingredients straight from the vegetable garden into the pot. One hundred percent natural, with all of Nature’s goodness, it has nurtured local people for centuries. Key to the dish is the garnish of moringa leaf: known as malunggay in the Philippines, it is considered a miracle tree, as all parts of the tree can be utilized. Gram for gram, moringa leaves contain SEVEN times the vitamin C in oranges, FOUR times the calcium in milk, FOUR times the Vitamin A in carrots, TWO times the protein in milk, and THREE times the potassium in bananas. How cool is that?

Ingredients

• 5 cups vegetable stock
• ½ cup squash, cut into cubes
• ½ cup string beans, chopped
• ½ cup eggplant, cut into cubes
• ½ cup corn kernels
• ½ cup papaya, cut into cubes
• 2 tbsp miso
• 1 inch ginger, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, sliced
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• ½ cup moringa leaf, for garnish

Method:

1. Boil first the vegetable stock for 15 minutes, then add all the ingredients and cook until everything is tender (approximately 10 minutes).
2. Season to taste, then scatter a few moringa leaves on the top — and serve hot.

 

SALAD

Purple Vegetable Salad

4–6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup red cabbage, shredded
• 1 red beet, julienned
• 2 bell peppers, julienned
• 1 red onion, julienned
• ½ red radish, sliced thinly into rounds
• 2 cups watermelon, cut into cubes
• ¼ cup Thai basil leaves

For vinaigrette

• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• ½ tbsp salt

For assembly

Selection of garden greens

Method

1. Mix the salad ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Blend the vinaigrette ingredients in a blender.
3. To serve, put the purple salad over a bed of salad greens, then drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over.
   

SALAD DRESSINGS

Orange Balsamic Dressing

3 cups

Ingredients

• 1 zucchini, peeled and chopped
• ½ cup raisins
• 1 tbsp mustard
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp Italian dried herbs
• 1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• ¼ cup shoyu
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ tsp sea salt

Method

1. In a blender, put zucchini, raisins, mustard, garlic, black pepper, Italian seasoning, orange juice, and shoyu. Blend until creamy.
2. Lastly, add balsamic vinegar, olive oil and sea salt — and pulse.
3. Serve with green salad.

 

COOKED MAIN COURSE

Crispy Potato Napoleon with Eggplant, Caramelized Onions and Pumpkin Ginger Sauce

4–6 servings

A beautifully layered tower of a dish, this recipe contains a host of textures and flavors. Crunchy potato contrasts with creamy caramelized onions, while the eggplant is full-bodied and slightly Japanese-like in flavor.

Ingredients

• 3 big potatoes, peeled and sliced on a mandolin, dip fried in 1 cup coconut or olive oil until crunchy.

For eggplant

• 6 eggplants, peeled and cut into cubes
• 2 tsp garlic, finely minced
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp tamari or shoyu
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

For stir fried greens with sesame

• 1 head Chinese cabbage, chopped
• 2 head pechay, chopped
• I bunch ferns, chopped
• 1 tsp garlic
• 1 tbsp onion
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp sesame seeds
• For sauce
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup onions, sliced
• 1 tsp garlic, minced
• 2 tbsp ginger, minced
• 2 cups squash, cut into cubes
• 1 cup carrots, cut into cubes
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• ½ tsp Chinese five spice powder
• ¼ cup rice wine
• 1 tbsp toasted sesame butter (see recipe below)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• ½ tsp cayenne

For onions

• 2 cups onions, julienned
• 4 tbsp muscovado syrup
• 3 tbsp shoyu
• 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil

For assembly

• Basil flowers and sprinkle of paprika

Method

1. For pumpkin ginger sauce: heat olive oil in a pan, sauté onions, garlic, ginger, squash and carrots. Add the stock and simmer until vegetables are tender.
2. Add five spice, wine, sesame butter, sea salt, black pepper, and cayenne. Turn off the heat.
3. Put the sauce in a blender and blend until it reaches a purée consistency. Set aside.
4. For eggplant filling: in a big bowl, mix thoroughly the eggplant, garlic, salt, black pepper and olive oil.
5. Place the eggplant mixture and sweet potato in two separate baking trays, put in the oven and bake for 5 to 10 minutes at 180ºC.
6. Transfer the sweet potato to a food processor and process until mashed.
7. Put the baked eggplant mixture in a food processor, add tamari or shoyu and balsamic vinegar. Process until finely ground.
8. In a bowl, mix sweet potato and eggplant mixture. Set aside.
9. For greens: sauté onion and garlic in coconut oil, then add the cabbages and ferns. Add sea salt and black pepper. Mix and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Set aside.
10. For caramelized onions: sauté the onions in the olive oil until clear; add shoyu, muscovado syrup and balsamic vinegar. Caramelize for 3 to 5 minutes. Set aside.
11. For assembly: place ½ a cup (per serving) of stir fried greens with sesame on a place, top with alternate layers of crunchy potatoes, filling and caramelized onions. Garnish with basil flower and drizzle pumpkin ginger sauce and a sprinkle of paprika all over. Serve immediately.

Toasted Sesame Butter
Makes 1 cup
Ingredients

• 1 cup raw sesame seeds
• 1/2 cup raw sesame oil

Method

1. Heat a frying pan and saute (the e needs an acute accent)sesame seeds for 3 to 5 minutes or until light brown. Set aside and allow to cool.
2. Blend the toasted sesame seeds until it becomes a powder. Then add sesame oil and blend until creamy.
   Put in a sterilized clear jar and store in the chiller where it can last up to 3 weeks.
3. Use for sauces or as a dressing for salads.

 

DESSERT

Chocolate Pecan Pie

8 slices

It’s said that the French invented chocolate pecan pie soon after they settled in New Orleans, after being introduced to the nut by native Americans. Be that as it may, it has transferred seamlessly from the southern USA to the Philippines to be reinvented by The Farm. The version here uses dehydrated nuts (to retain their essential enzymes) and there’s a little coconut for that extra snatch of flavor.

Ingredients

For crust

• ½ cup almonds, soaked for 8 hours and dehydrated until crispy
• 1½ cups pecan nuts, soaked for 8 hours and dehydrated until crispy
• 6 dates, pitted
• ¼ cup muscovado sugar
• ½ tsp cinnamon

For chocolate

• ¾ cup cocoa powder
• ¾ cup honey
• 1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed

For filling

• ½ cup coconut butter
• ¾ cup dates, pitted
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1¼ cups pecan nuts, chopped

For topping

• 1 cup candied pecans (see recipe below)

Method

1. For crust, place almonds, pecans, dates, sugar and cinnamon in a food processor; process until crumbly, yet, sticky. Press mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie plate lined with cling film or greaseproof paper and set aside.
2. Mix the chocolate ingredients together, then blend in a high-speed blender to achieve a smooth consistency. Pour ¾ of a cup of the mixture into the pie crust and refrigerate until firm (approx. 2 hours). Save the chocolate mixture that remains for chocolate truffles.
3. For filling, place the dates and coconut oil in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add the rest of the ingredients and continue to blend until smooth. Fold in the chopped pecans by hand and spread on top of the chilled chocolate bottom.
4. Arrange nuts in symmetrical fashion around the edge of the pie and chill the pie for minimum of 4 hours before serving.

 

DRINKS

Hydration is an important element in every guest’s schedule at The Farm; whether it is water, fresh buko juice, a wheatgrass shot or some of the recipes on these pages and overleaf, The Farm constantly stresses to guests to keep their hydration levels up. These recipes rely on fresh, organic fruits and vegetables harvested from The Farm’s garden — sweet, natural and tasty. The high-fiber detox drinks are useful for those undergoing colon hydrotherapy, or for anybody who wants a cleansing fix.

Electrolyte Lemonade

1 glass

Ingredients

• Juice from 1 orange
• 1 pear, peeled and de-seeded
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 tbsp grapefruit juice
• 3 tbsp honey
• pinch of salt
• 1 cup coconut juice
• 3 ice cubes

Method

1. Combine all ingredients in a blender except ice cubes and blend until smooth.
2. Strain using a fine strainer.
3. Pour into an old fashioned glass then add the ice cubes.
4. Stir and serve.

For more information about the “The Farm”, visit www.thefarm.com.ph

*Resort photos are copied from the site: www.thefarm.com.ph

*All recipes on this post are submitted by the folks at “The Farm”.