The book Unicorn Food: Beautiful Plant-Based Recipes to Nurture Your Inner Magical Beast by Kat Odell is a recent cookbook filled with brightly colored, healthy dishes. This book features a variety of “unicorn” drinks, snacks, and meals. The term “unicorn food” defines brightly colored, mostly plant-based, clean eating. It’s food that is not only healthy and delicious but also playful and fun. One of the best things about the food in this cookbook is that every single dish is Instagram worthy! So, liven up your feed while you indulge on delicious food with these 10 recipes from the Unicorn Food cookbook.
Ingredients:
Fine sea salt
½ pound chickpea spaghetti
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
½ tablespoon minced garlic
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups dry red wine
¼ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf (Italian) parsley leaves
¼ cup pine nuts (toasted)
5 teaspoons fresh lemon juice + extra as needed
Freshly grated zest of 1 lemon
1. Bring a large pot of tap water to a boil over high heat. Salt it generously, add the pasta, and cook, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick, until barely pliable and still hard in the center, about 1 minute. Drain in a colander.
2. Heat a large pan over medium-low heat and add ¼ cup of the olive oil, the garlic, and red pepper flakes. When the garlic begins to brown, sprinkle it with a pinch each of salt and black pepper, add the red wine, and bring to a boil. Add the parboiled pasta and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente and has absorbed the red wine, about 4 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the parsley, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, and stir to combine. Taste and add more lemon juice as needed. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
¾ cup sweet rice flour
¾ cup almond flour
½ cup chestnut flour
2 ½ teaspoons match powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¾ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¼ teaspoons ground cardamom
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ cup coconut palm sugar
⅓ cup mashed avocado (1/2 medium avocado or about 2 ounces)
⅓ cup vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest + extra for garnish
¼ cup chopped pitted dates (about 4 dates)
½ cup shelled pistachios, toasted and chopped
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Whisk together the fours, matcha, salt, baking soda, cardamom, and cinnamon in a medium bowl and set aside.
3. Combine the coconut palm sugar, mashed avocado, oil, and vanilla in a large bowl, and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until creamy and smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the orange zest and dates and beat just to incorporate.
4. Beat the flour mixture into the sugar mixture in 2 additions. Stir in the pistachios. The dough will appear shiny, thick, and tacky, almost like marzipan.
5. Using a tablespoon, scoop a portion of the dough into you hand and roll it between your palms to form a compact ball. Press each ball against your other palm and flatten it into a ¼ – inch-thick disk. Place the disks onto the prepared baking sheet, spacing them evenly apart. (The cookies won’t spread during baking.)
6. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time, until the cookies show subtle cracks on top (they may brown just slightly), 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool on the baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle or grate fresh orange zest atop before serving.
*Matcha Cookies will keep, in a covered or uncovered container at room temperature, for 5 days.
Ingredients:
For the Base:
10 pitted dates
6 medium to large fried figs
⅔ cup raw organic almonds
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
2 tablespoons unsweetened coconut flakes
For the Filling:
3 cups raw/organic cashews, soaked in water to cover overnight, drained
¾ cup coconut oil, melted
¼ cup fresh lime juice
2 passion fruits, halved and pulp scooped out (discard the shells)
2 tablespoons filtered water
½ cup yacon syrup, raw honey, or pure maple syrup
1 vanilla bean, split in half lengthwise and seeds scraped out (reserve the pod for another use)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ cup packed fresh baby spinach leaves
4 kiwis, peeled
¼ teaspoon spirulina powder
1. Line a 10 x 7-inch baking pan with parchment paper, extending the paper up and over the sides.
2. Make the base: combine the dates, figs, almonds, coconut oil, and coconut flakes in a food processor and blend until the mixture is broken down and sticks together, about 1 minute. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan and, using the back of a spoon, press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the pan.
3. Make the filling: Combine the cashews, coconut oil, lime juice, passion fruit pulp, filtered water, yacon syrup, vanilla seeds, and salt in a blender and process until the mixture is thick and smooth, scraping down the sides as needed, about 30 seconds. Spoon half the filling into the pan ad spread it out with a spoon to coat the base layer. Cover with plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer to set, about 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, add the spinach, 2 of the kiwis, and the spirulina to the remaining cashew cream in the blender and process until the spinach leaves are fully broken down and the mixture is light green, about 30 seconds.
5. Remove the baking pan from the freezer, unwrap it, and scoop the kiwi cream atop the cashew cream, using the back of a spoon to smooth the top. Cover the cheesecake again and return it to the freezer until the mixture is set, at least 2 hours.
6. Remove the cheesecake from the freezer and uncover it. Slice the remaining kiwis crosswise into ¼ -inch-thick slices and decorate the top of the cheesecake with the fruit by laying the slices side by side. Cover the cheesecake (with a fresh piece of plastic wrap, if needed) and return it to the freezer to set the kiwi slices, 1 hour.
7. Remove the baking pan from the freezer, uncover it, and let the cheesecake defrost to soften slightly, about 10 minutes. Slice the cheesecake into 14 bars and serve.
*Cheesecake bars will keep, wrapped well in plastic wrap, and then aluminum foil, in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for 1 month.
Ingredients:
For the wrappers:
1 medium raw red beet, unpeeled, scrubbed and cut into 6 pieces
18 spring roll rice wrappers (6 inches each)
black sesame seeds, for garnish
For the pineapple kimchi:
1 medium pineapple
5 garlic cloves, peeled
1 small shallot, peeled
2-inch piece (about 1 ounce) fresh ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 ½ tablespoons gochugaru
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
For the filling:
2 cups mushrooms, such as shimeji, enoki, or shiitake, cleaned, bottoms trimmed
4 ½ teaspoon olive oil
fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp gluten-free soy sauce
2 medium carrots, peeled, trimmed, and cut into matchstick-size pieces
2 cups pea shoots
2 cups daikon, peeled and cut into matchstick-size pieces
1 bunch fresh cilantro, washed, 2 inches removed from stalks
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Make dye for the wrappers: Place the beet in a medium bowl and add 1 ⅓ cups hot tap water to cover. Set aside to steep while you assemble the remaining ingredients.
3. For the pineapple kimchi: Cut off the crown and stem of the pineapple and discard. Positioning one cut side of the pineapple on a cutting board, and using a chef’s knife, slice off the skin from top to bottom, cutting deeply enough to remove any eyes. Cut the pineapple vertically in half lengthwise and set aside one half. Cut one pineapple half into rough 1-inch cubes, making sure to cut around the tougher core. Transfer about 2 ½ cups of the pineapple cubes to a blender (if you have extra cubes, reserve them for another use). Quarter the remaining pineapple half lengthwise, slicing off and discarding the tough central core of each quarter. Slice each quarter into long strips about ⅛-inch thick and 4-inches long. Transfer these pieces to a large bowl and set aside.
4. Add the garlic, shallot, ginger, rice wine vinegar, gochugaru, and salt to the blender and blend until smooth, about 1 minute. Pour the pineapple kimchi over the pineapple strips and toss to coat. Set aside.
5. Make the filling: Toss the mushrooms with the olive oil in a medium bowl (if using shiitakes, slice them into quarters first). Spread the mushrooms in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast the mushrooms until soft, about 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the oven and transfer them to a small bowl. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Set aside.
6. Dye the wrappers: Lay a clean, damp kitchen towel on a work surface. Place a medium, shallow bowl of warm water next to the work surface and the reserved beet water beside that (the beet water should still be warm; if it is not, reheat it gently in a small pot or the microwave). Dip the right side of a wrapper in the warm water to cover it, then quickly dip the left side in the beet water; transfer the dipped wrapper to the damp towel. The wrapper should be just slightly pliable and tinted soft magenta on one side (it will be white on the other and will shade from white to pink as the wrapper continues to hydrate and the dye bleeds).
7. Assemble summer rolls: Arrange a generous pinch each of the carrot, pea shoots, daikon and cilantro about 1 inch from the bottom of the wrapper and across both the pink and white sides, leaving a border of about 1 ½ inches on the pink side (this side will be wrapped up to form the base of the roll; the white side will be left open, allowing the veg to peek out). Top each mound of vegetables with about 1 tablespoon of mushrooms and 2 teaspoons of pineapple kimchi — be careful not to overfill it!
8. Fold the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling to cover about ½ inch, then tuck the pink side of the wrapper over to close that end. Continue to roll tightly from the bottom up until the summer roll is wrapped and the vegetables peek out of the white side. Set the summer roll, seam side down, on a plate. Repeat with the remaining wrappers and filling.
9. Sprinkle the summer rolls with sesame seeds and serve immediately.
*Rolls will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 2 days. The kimchi will keep, in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for up to 5 days.
Ingredients:
For the Dough:
1 tablespoon olive oil + extra for greasing the pan
½ cup pureed butternut squash or sweet potato, fresh or canned
¼ cup psyllium husks
¼ cup almond flour
¼ cup oat flour + extra as needed
2 tablespoons flax meal
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
For the Toppings:
2 avocados
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons Tomatillo salsa + extra as needed
1 to 2 jalapeños thinly sliced crosswise or minced and seeded
Fresh cilantro leaves or blossoms, for garnish
1 lime, halved
Coarse sea salt, for garnish
1. Make the dough: Preheat the oven to 375°F. Coat two rimmed baking sheets with olive oil
2. Combine the squash, psyllium husks, almond flour, ¼ cup of the oat flour, the flax meal, the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl and, using a wooden spoon, mix until the ingredients are fully incorporated and form a slightly sticky, gel-like dough. Using your hands, divide the dough into two halves.
3. Sprinkle oat flour on a work surface and place one piece of the dough on top. Knead the dough a few times, then shape into a flat disk. Using a rolling pin dusted with oat flour, roll the dough into a rough circle about 8 inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Repeat with the remaining piece of dough. Carefully transfer the dough rounds to the prepared baking sheet and bake until lightly browned on top, about 10 minutes. Using a spatula, flip the crusts over, then bake until lightly brown on the second side (the tops will still feel slightly soft), 10 minutes more.
4. While the crusts bake, prepare the topping: Slice each avocado in half, lengthwise. Remove the pit. Using your hands carefully peel the skin away from the flesh and discard the skin. Place the avocado halves, cut side down, on a cutting board and slice them lengthwise into ⅛-inch-thick slices.
5. Remove the crusts from the oven and rub the top of each with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. Layer the avocado slices on top, then dot each with 1 tablespoon of tomatillo salsa, and sprinkle 1 tablespoon minced jalapeño on each. Add a few cilantro leaves to each pizza as a garnish, squeeze the juice of half a lime atop each, and finish with a sprinkle of salt. Serve immediately.
Ingredients:
⅔ cup solid coconut oil + extra for greasing the pan
¾ cup diced strawberries
½ cup raspberries
16 organic raw almonds, finely chopped
¾ cup plus 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
½ vanilla bean, seeds scraped out
2 Chia eggs (you’ll have to buy the book for this recipe or just use regular eggs)
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Vanilla Bean-Almond Milk, for serving (optional) (you’ll have to buy the book for this recipe or just use any milk of your choosing)
Crumbled freeze-dried strawberries, for garnish (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a muffin tin with coconut oil.
2. Prepare the fruit topping: Place the strawberries, raspberries, chopped almonds, 3 tablespoons of coconut palm sugar, and vanilla seeds in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Divide the fruit mixture evenly among the wells of the muffin tin.
3. Prepare the batter: Combine the remaining ¾ cup of coconut palm sugar and the coconut oil in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or in a large bowl, if using a handheld electric mixer) and whisk until creamy, about 1 minute. Add the chia eggs and salt and whisk to incorporate. In a separate medium bowl, combine the gluten-free flour and baking powder and whisk together. Pour the flour mixture into the coconut palm sugar mixture and whisk to combine.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the wells of the muffin tin.
5. Bake until the cakes are light brown and cooked through (they will still be moist), about 28 minutes. Allow the cakes to cool a bit in the tin.
6. Using a large spoon, carefully scoop out the cakes from the pan (only remove as many as you plan to serve, they begin to lose their shape once removed from the pan). Place each cake, fruit side up, in the center of a small bowl (note that the cakes will be crumbly and delicate). Drizzle 4½ teaspoons of almond milk atop each. The almond milk will soak the cake and form a pool around it. Serve immediately garnished with freeze-dried strawberries, if desired.
*Cakes will keep (without the almond milk), wrapped individually in plastic wrap and stored in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 3 days, or in the freezer for 1 month. Unwrap them and reheat them in the oven before serving.
Ingredients:
2 cups brown rice flour
2 Chia eggs (you’ll need to buy the book for this recipe or just use regular eggs)
2 cups Hazelnut Milk (you’ll need to buy the book for this recipe) or other high-quality nut milk of your choice
¼ heaping cup of Beet Puree (you’ll need to buy the book for this recipe)
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted + extra for greasing the waffle iron
2 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
Coconut Whip (you’ll need to buy the book for this recipe or just use regular whip cream), for serving
2 tablespoons Tutti-Frutti Dust (you’ll need to buy the book for this recipe), for garnish
1. Combine 1 cup of the rice flour, 1 chia egg, 1 cup of the hazelnut milk, 4 tablespoons of the beet puree, 1 tablespoon of the coconut palm sugar, the Chinese five-spice powder, 1 teaspoon of the vanilla, ¼ teaspoon of the baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon of the salt in a medium bowl and whisk to blend into a dark pink batter.
2. In a second medium bowl, combine the remaining 1 cup rice flour, 1 chia egg, 1 cup hazelnut milk, 1 ½ teaspoons beet puree, 1 tablespoon coconut oil, 1 tablespoon coconut palm sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ½ teaspoon baking powder, and ⅛ teaspoon salt and whisk to blend into a light pink batter.
3.Grease the waffle iron on top and bottom with coconut oil and heat the iron according to the manufacturer’s directions.
4. Ladle about ¼ cup or more of the dark pink batter onto the waffle iron, dropping small amounts haphazardly into the center of the iron and leaving some gaps in between. Fill in the gaps with about ¼ cup or more of the light pink batter (leave the outer inch or so of the waffle iron bare) so you have an organically shaped circle of batter in the center of the iron. Close the iron and cook the waffle until light brown and crisp on the outside, about 9 minutes, depending on your waffle iron.
5. Carefully remove the waffle from the iron, transfer it to a plate, and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining batters (it should make 3 waffles).
6. Serve the waffles warm, topping them with 2 tablespoons of coconut whip and a sprinkling of the tutti-frutti dust.
Ingredients:
½ cup coconut milk
½ cup ice cubes + extra for serving
¼ ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
3 ounces frozen mango chunks
2 ounces frozen pineapple chunks
2 teaspoons raw honey
1 teaspoon freshly grated peeled ginger (from about 1-inch piece)
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon probiotic powder
¾ teaspoon ground cardamom
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of ground cloves
1. Combine the coconut milk. Ice cubes, avocado, mango, pineapple, honey, ginger, turmeric, probiotic powder, cardamom, cinnamon, pepper, and cloves in a blender and puree until smooth, about 30 minutes.
2. Pour into a glass with ice and serve immediately.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons chia seeds
4 cups + 3 tablespoons filtered water
4 cups chopped purple cabbage
4 garlic cloves, peeled
2 shallots, peeled
½ teaspoon fine sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 teaspoons white miso paste
2 teaspoons raw honey
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Seeded Togarashi (you’ll need to buy the book for this recipe or buy a store-bough version), for garnish
Freshly grated orange and /or lime zest, for garnish
Lime wedges, for serving
1. Place the line juice, chia seeds, and 3 tablespoons of the filtered water in a small bowl and stir together to combine. Set aside to thicken while you assemble the soup.
2. Heat the remaining 4 cups of filtered water in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the cabbage, garlic, shallots, salt, and pepper. Lower the heat to medium and simmer, uncovered, until the cabbage is tender, about 20 minutes.
3. Carefully transfer the cabbage, garlic, shallots, and simmering liquid to a blender or food processor. Add the miso past, honey, rice wine vinegar, olive oil, and sesame oil and puree until the mixture is smooth and velvety, about 3 minutes.
4. Divide the soup among four bowls and spoon one-quarter of the chia seed mixture into the center of each bowl. Garnish with togarashi, lime zest, and orange zest.
*Soup will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator, for 2 days.
Ingredients:
2 medium purple yams
2 tablespoons coconut oil
2 teaspoons tahini (sesame paste)
½ lime + extra for serving
1 teaspoon bee pollen
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. Prick the yams all over with a fork, place them on the baking sheet, and roast in the oven until soft when pierced in the middle with a fork, about 25 minutes. Set the yams aside to cool slightly.
3. Using a paring knife, carefully peel the yams while they’re still hot; discard the skins. Slice the yams in half lengthwise and transfer them to a platter (or individual plates). Using a fork, gently press the yam halves into the plate(s), mashing them slightly.
4. Add 1 ½ teaspoons of the coconut oil to each yam half, distributing the oil evenly with a knife to coat the yam. Drizzle each yam half with ½ teaspoon of tahini, then squeeze the lime half evenly over each and grate the lime zest atop. Finally, top each with ¼ teaspoon of the bee pollen and a pinch of salt. Serve immediately with the remaining lime alongside.
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