Recipe #22: Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Chutney

This soup will kick any other soup's ass anytime, anywhere, any place.  Coconut chutney is made with Serrano peppers--that little bit of heat is what makes this the most deliciously badass squash soup I've ever come across.          

1 large Butternut squash

1/2 red onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced or put through a press

1/2 Tablespoon Earth Balance vegan butter

3 Tablespoons Swad brand Coconut Chutney (available in the Indian section of most larger grocery stores or in any Indian Market) 

4 cups water 

1/2 Tablespoon sea salt

Fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Cut squash in half and place cut sides down in a large baking pan (or use two smaller pans) with about 3/4" water.  Roast for 45 min to 1 hour.  While squash is roasting, heat Earth Balance in a small frying pan and sautee onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until garlic is light brown.  Set pan aside.  Check squash after 45 minutes by pricking with a fork in several areas- it should be very soft all over before you take it out of the oven.  Let it cook longer if needed. When it is done, carefully remove squash  from the pan and let the halves cool down on a wire rack or large plate for about 20 minutes.  After they've cooled, place them on a large cutting board and peel off the skin  with a butter knife.  Remove seeds and stringy parts using a large spoon or an ice cream scoop.  Once peeled and de-seeded, cut squash into large chunks.  Put squash, cooked garlic and onion, chutney, salt, and 2 cups of water into a blender.  Blend until everything is combined and there are no chunky parts left.  Pour mixture into a large pot over a medium-low flame.  Add the remaining 2 cups of water and stir continuously until water is completely combined and the soup is heated all the way through.  Do a taste test and add some black pepper and a little more salt to taste.  Stir again.  

Congratulations! You just made a killer good soup.                  

Recipe #21: Ultimate Farmer's Market Pizza

Holy. Crap. 

I really didn't expect this pizza to turn out this awesome.  It was a wacky idea that somehow totally worked!  Basically, I took almost everything that I bought at the Fulton Street Farmer's Market yesterday and baked it on a pizza crust with a mashed bean spread instead of a traditional pizza sauce. Weird, huh?  

Here's the deal: 

1 large pre-made large pizza crust - I used Bova Bakery's Roasted Garlic crust

1 medium size leek, sliced

1 cup radicchio, shredded (It was so pretty I almost didn't want to chop it up--Trillium Haven Farm rules.)

1 1/2 cup kale leaves, torn into pieces

1 large tomato, diced (I used a cool-looking heirloom tomato)  

2 cloves garlic, put through a press or very finely minced

1 large carrot, shredded 

2 cans of beans, rinsed and well drained (I used 1 pinto and 1 garbanzo but 2 cans of cannellini beans would be great too)  

1-2 Tablespoon water or veggie broth 

2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

1 Tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

1/2 Tablespoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon rubbed sage

sea salt

black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a large bowl, mix together leeks, radicchio, kale, carrot, tomato, and garlic.  Add 1 tablespoon each olive oil and Balsamic vinegar.  Mix well to coat evenly.  Stir in oregano, sage, 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast, and salt and black pepper to taste.  Set aside.  In another large bowl, mix drained beans with 1 tablespoon each olive oil, Balsamic vinegar and nutritional yeast.  Mash bean mixture with a potato masher until no whole beans remain.  Add 1-2 tablespoons of the water or veggie broth while mashing to get mixture to a consistency that will make it easy to spread.  It may not be a pretty color, but it will end up getting covered up with the veggie mix so don't worry about that too much.   Spread bean mixture evenly over pizza crust using a rubber spatula.  Leave about 3/4 an inch of crust uncovered around the edge.  Stir your veggie mix once again and then spoon it evenly on top of the bean mixture. 

Carefully place your pizza on the middle oven rack and bake it for 10-12 minutes.  It's done when the crust is golden brown.  The veggies will still have a slightly raw flavor and be a little crunchy.    

I took this with my Blackberry so it is blurry and grainy but you get the idea.

   

Recipe #20: English Muffin Bread

Who bakes bread when it is 85 degrees out?  Apparently I do.  This bread is SO GOOD.  When you take a bite of this stuff when it is still warm and has a little vegan butter on it, you are totally going to freak out.  I feel really proud of myself when I bake something awesome.  I think it is because people who don't bake tend to be really impressed by it-- "You made this?!  Wow!"  This bread is sure to impress the pants off everyone you know.    

Of course there are many healthier breads out there that you could choose to bake instead of this one.  However, this is a great one to start with if you have never baked bread before and want to give it a try.  It is easy, there are only a few ingredients and all of them are cheap and easy to find.  Truth be told, this is an old Better Homes and Gardens' recipe, the only real change is substituting soymilk for dairy milk.  

Cornmeal 

Cooking spray

6 cups all-purpose flour 

2 packages active dry yeast 

1/4 teaspoon baking soda 

2 cups soymilk 

1/2 cup water 

1 Tablespoon sugar 

1 teaspoon salt 

Spray two 8x4x2-inch loaf pans with cooking spray.  Lightly sprinkle the insides of the pans with cornmeal and shake the pans around so that the cornmeal coats the bottom and sides.  Set them aside.

In a large mixing bowl, use a wooden spoon to stir together 1/2 of the flour (3 cups), both packets of the yeast, and the baking soda.  Set the bowl aside.  In a medium saucepan, heat and stir soymilk, water, sugar, and salt over a low flame until just warm (about 5 minutes).  Stir the soymilk mixture into flour mixture and slowly add in the remaining 3 cups of flour and continue stirring until everything is well combined.  It should be thick and sticky (that's what she said). 

Pull apart the dough with your hands to divide it in half.  Plop each half into a loaf pan.  It is not going to look anything like bread at this stage.  Keep in mind that the dough will rise and fill up the pan eventually.  If it just looks like a blob in the middle of the pan right now, you are in good shape.  Sprinkle the tops with more cornmeal and set the pans side by side.  Find a clean kitchen towel and drape it over both of the pans.  This keeps the heat in and helps the yeast start the party that gets the dough to rise.  Leave the dough alone in a warm place for 45 minutes, resist the urge to lift the towel and peek at it while it is rising.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  After the rise time, take the towel off the pans and put them in the oven to bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown.  Remove pans from the oven and turn them upside down onto a wire rack to get the loaves out.  I don't have a wire rack so I just used the bottom of a large colander and it worked just fine.   Let the loaves cool for a few minutes before slicing then it's yum-time.      

This recipe and this picture were shamelessly ripped off from bhg.com

    

Recipe #19: Sweet Corn Chowder with Cilantro

The time to buy corn is now!  Do it!  It is so cheap it is insane.  I paid 19 cents an ear!  Michigan sweet corn is so good that this recipe really doesn't need much else.  I think that the mixture of cooked and raw veggies in this soup really takes it over the top.  You will need a working blender and a pot big enough to boil 4 ears of corn at a time to pull this recipe off.  I know you can do it.      

 

4 ears of fresh sweet corn, husks removed

4 green onions, sliced thin

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil 

1/2 of a red pepper, diced

2 Roma tomatoes, diced

1/2 cup loosely packed cilantro leaves

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1 teaspoon salt

3- 31/2 cups plain soymilk

Put the ears of corn in a large pot and fill with enough water to cover them.  Add a little salt if you want.  Heat water to boiling and then cook until tender, about 15 minutes.  While the corn is cooking, heat the olive oil in a small frying pan and add the green onions and garlic.  Sautee for 3- 5 minutes until they are soft then set them aside.  You can use the remainder of the corn cooking time to dice the red pepper and tomatoes.  

When the corn is done cooking, use tongs to remove the cobs from the pot and put them into a large colander in the sink.  Run cold water over the cobs until you are able to touch them with your bare hands without hurting yourself.  Once cool, set the cobs on a large cutting board and begin cutting off the cooked kernels with a sharp knife.  To do this, hold the corn vertically on the cutting board with the flat end of the cob on the board.  Run a knife down the length of the cob to remove the kernels.  If this makes you uneasy, try cutting them into a bowl or pan.   Put the kernels from three of the cobs into the blender but reserve the kernels from the fourth cob for later.  Add the cooked onions and garlic, half of the cilantro (about 1/4 cup), salt, lime juice, and 1 cup of soymilk to the blender.  Blend mixture for about 30 seconds (I used the "milkshake" setting on my crappy blender).  Add another cup of soymilk and blend for another 30 seconds.  Do a taste test and add some freshly ground black pepper if you want.  Add another 1/2 cup of soymilk and blend for about a minute more.  

Rinse out the pot that you used to boil the corn.  Set the pot on a burner over a low flame and pour the contents of the blender into the pot.  Stir in the diced tomatoes and red pepper, the reminder of the cilantro, and the reserved corn kernels.  Your mixture might be foamy from all the blending at this point but if you stir it slowly and heat it on low for about 20 minutes, it will calm down and the flavors will get a chance to blend together.  If the soup is thicker than you'd like, you can slowly add the remaining soymik (up to a cup) to get it to the consistency you'd like.  Continue stirring until it is heated all the way through and add more black pepper if you are feeling it.  Done!         

Recipe #18: Veggie Coney Dogs

I felt like making these just to be funny.  I grew up outside of Flint and worked at a Gyro and Coney Dog restaurant when I was 18.  I was already a vegetarian by then so I never understood how the people I waited on could order several Coney Dogs at a time, inhale them, and then order more!  People seriously go nuts for Flint Coney Dogs.  Most of the recipes for the Flint style Coney sauce call for ground beef and ground up Koegel hotdogs (ground hot dogs on top of whole hot dogs, weird, huh?).  Other recipes call for ground up cow kidneys and heart cooked in lard...a true nightmare for vegetarians (and even some die hard meat eaters)!  The most famous place in Flint for an authentic Flint style Coney Dog is Angelo's.  You are not likely to ever find a Veggie Coney Dog on the menu at Angelo's and some Flint folks might even take a swing at you for suggesting such a thing.  Angelo's has been serving Coney Dogs in the same location in the same way since 1949.  People get really serious about this stuff! 

 

These were fun and so easy to make.  They aren't the healthiest thing you could have for dinner but they are really tasty and WAY better for you than the original version (duh).  If I counted right, there have less than 300 calories and about 7 grams of fat a piece.  I should note that traditional Flint Coney "sauce" is more of a dry and crumbly meat topping- my version is more saucy.   

Makes 2 Veggie Coney Dogs 

1/2 Tbsp Earth Balance spread

Let's face it: they aren't much to look at.

1 c. Frozen vegetarian ground meat style crumbles   

1/4 c. Tomato Sauce

1/8 tsp Garlic powder

1/4 tsp Chili powder   

Pinch black pepper

1/2 tsp Prepared yellow mustard 

2 Veggie hot dogs (Smart Dogs or Yves' Good Dogs are both good options)

2 whole wheat buns

Diced white onion-about 1/4 c. 

More mustard

Melt Earth Balance in a frying pan over medium heat and add crumbles.  Sautee until warm and heated through.  Add tomato sauce, spices, and the 1/2 tsp of the mustard and stir well.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, prepare your dogs according to package directions- grilling is the preferred method.   

Put cooked dogs in buns and cover each with half the sauce.  Top with diced onions and more mustard.  Eat 'em up and then plan to stay away from other humans until your breath recovers! 

Recipe #17: Carob Chip and Peanut Cookies

You will want to eat all of these but you really shouldn't-- these are 100% vegan but not a diet food AT ALL.  This recipe was adapted from the Post Punk Kitchen's Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe.  The batter is pretty oily- I thought I screwed it up but they turned out awesome.  There are a lot of adjectives out there that are used to describe cookies--- gooey, moist, delectable, lip smacking, sinful etc.  These are words that make me uncomfortable.  All you need to know is that these cookies rule.       

1/2 c. brown sugar
1/4 c. white sugar
2/3 c. oil (I used Zoye -made locally in Zeeland, MI!)
1/4 c. plain rice milk 

1 Tablespoon tapioca flour (I found it at Harvest Health)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour plus a little more if needed
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 c. vegan carob chips

1/4 c. lightly salted dry roasted peanuts

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Cover 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and trim to fit.  

Mix together sugars, oil, rice milk and tapioca flour in a large mixing bowl.  Use a fork to mix it up really well and break up any brown sugar chunks.  Stir constantly--this may take up to 5 minutes.  The mixture should look like dark brown caramel and the oil should be well incorporated.  This step is slightly annoying but really important.  

Mix in the vanilla.  Add 1 cup of the flour, the baking soda and salt.  Keep stirring.  Mix in the other 1/2 c. of flour.  If mixture seems too runny, add a little more flour--about 1-2 Tablespoons should do it.  Stir in the carob chips and peanuts. 

Grab small handfuls of dough and roll into balls slightly smaller than ping pong size (perhaps eyeball size?  Sorry, that's gross).  Place balls onto cookie sheets in rows.  Flatten the dough balls slightly with the back of a spoon.  Bake for about 8-9 minutes.  They firm up as they cool so don't overcook them even if they look mushy.  Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes before handling then boom! It's party time.    

Recipe #16: Roasted Veggies and Garlic

Spring is almost here so it is a good time to pretend that you are a person who has their act together by cleaning out your fridge and cupboards.  Roasting is an easy way to use up veggies that are slightly past their prime.  I served these up with some split yellow peas (chana dal) with curry and some steamed spinach with lemon.  It was damn near outta sight.  

Handful of baby carrots

2 parsnips (peeled and chopped)

1 sweet potato (peeled and chopped)

5 cloves of garlic (whole,unpeeled)

sea salt and cracked black pepper

(Use whatever you have- potatoes, mushrooms, onions etc.)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and trim to fit.  Lay out your vegetables on the sheet so they are not touching.  Spray generously with olive oil cooking spray or drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 45-60 minutes- turn them over as best as you can about midway through cooking time.  When they are done, take the pan out and let cool for a few minutes until garlic is cool enough to touch.  The roasted garlic will fall right out of the skin- no need to peel it- just put it through a press and mix it up with the veggies.    

Recipe #15: Michigan Winter Beer Fest Snack Mix

Salty?  Yes.  Sweet?  Just enough.  Spicy?  Yep.  Healthy?  Well, not really but WAY better than chips or festival food.  I have packed a bunch of this yum-stuff up for the Winter Beer Fest tomorrow.

1 cup plain Cheerios (or use a generic version)

2 cups pretzel twists

1 cup salted peanuts

1 cup wasabi peas

1 cup dried cranberries 

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Mix all ingredients in a large oven safe pot or baking dish.  Bake for 15-20 minutes then let cool.  Baking plumps up the cranberries and somehow makes the flavors go together even better.  Mix again and pour into a container with a tight fitting lid.  Easy! 

 

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Recipe #14: Blueberry Lemon Cornmeal Pancakes

Warning: These are not like traditional pancakes.  They are not light and fluffy and overly sweet.  They are hearty and dense and filling.  They will also make you feel great, not bloated and headache-y with that icky throat feeling that you get from traditional pancakes with fake syrup.  Lemons and blueberries have been friends forever and when you put them together in this breakfasty treat they are truly bitchen.  This is another adaptation of a recipe from the Engine 2 Diet Book which itself was an adaptation of a recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance.   

Yay! Blueberry pancakes that WON'T make you feel like this.

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3/4 c. cornmeal

2 cups almond milk

1/2 cup vanilla flavored soy yogurt

The juice and zest of 2 lemons

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen & thawed blueberries

Cooking spray

Real maple syrup

Combine wet ingredients in a large bowl and stir very well.  It will look weird and watery but it is supposed to.  Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl (if you have one with a pouring lip- use it) and stir very well to combine.  Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and stir until there are no lumpy parts.  Keep in mind that cornmeal is very grainy and whole wheat flour is, y'know, brownish, so the batter is not going to have the same texture or color that you may be used to with traditional pancakes.  Do not panic about it, just fold in the blueberries and stir.  Spray a large skillet/frying pan with cooking spray and heat over a low-medium flame.  When a drop of water sizzles in the pan, it's go time.  Pour batter into center of the pan and swirl it around to make it thinner and even.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes until pancake is very easily lifted with a spatula--don't rush it or you will have a broken pancake.  Flip and cook on the other side for another 3 minutes.  Keep going until you have used up the batter.  Respray the pan as necessary.  If you want to serve them all at once, keep them warm by putting a glass plate in a 200 degree oven.  As you finish the pancakes, add them to the plate.  Serve with real maple syrup-- I know it is expensive but it is so much better (and better for you) than the fake stuff and you don't need very much at all to take these over the top.   

 

Recipe #13: President's Day Tempeh with Lentils and Barley

Hear ye, hear ye!  I declare this dinner to be AWESOME!

Folks, when you eat lentils or barley you are quite simply taking a bite out of history.  According to my sources, barley has been around since about 10,000 BC and archaeologists have discovered 10,000-year-old lentils in Greece.  Soooo old!  This recipe also includes tempeh, which is fermented soybeans.  So basically, tempeh is old before you even bring it home from the store!  OLD!  So, on this eve of President's Day 2011, let us honor history by eating some really old foods.  

1 package tempeh (8 oz)

4 cups vegetable broth

1 cup uncooked yellow lentils

1/2 cup uncooked pearl barley

3 carrots, peeled and shredded

1/3 c. minced red onion

1/2 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

2 Tablespoons Bragg's or tamari 

1 Tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce (I recommend Annie's Naturals)

1/4 teaspoon (plus an extra pinch) sage 

1/4 teaspoon (plus an extra pinch) thyme

Pinch rosemary

Black pepper

Pour broth into a large pot with carrots and onions.  Bring to a boil, add lentils and barley and 1/4 tsp each sage and thyme and the pinch of rosemary.  Reduce heat to low and let simmer uncovered for about 40-50 minutes until almost all liquid is absorbed and lentils are tender.  During the last 25 minutes of cooking time, get the tempeh going.  First, cut tempeh into very small chunks or just crumble it with your hands.  Steam tempeh in a covered steamer basket over boiling water for 10 minutes.  Heat the olive oil in a medium sized skillet and when a drop of water sizzles in the pan, add steamed tempeh chunks.     Stir fry the tempeh for about 5 minutes then add the Bragg's or tamari, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, pinches of thyme and sage and cracked fresh pepper.  Stir fry about 5 minutes more.  Serve tempeh on top of barley and lentil mixture.   A simple spinach and tomato salad with Three-Two-One Blast Your Face Off Dressing, is a nice compliment.   

"I care not much for a man's religion whose dog and cat are not the better for it".  ~Abraham Lincoln

       

 

           

Recipe #12: Chocolate mousse

Here is another recipe adapted from the Engine 2 book.  This is truly awesome and so easy!  The cinnamon was my touch.  I think adding a little natural peanut butter to the mix and then topping the mousse with sliced bananas would really take it over the top.  It is seriously outta sight just like this though.  Please note: it is important that you use silken soft (not firm) tofu otherwise you will have chunky mousse.  I used Mori Nu which is available at most grocery stores in the produce section.   

1 package silken tofu
2 Tablespoon cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla 
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 c agave nectar or pure maple syrup or a combination of both

Put all ingredients in a large bowl and break up tofu with a fork.  Beat with a hand held mixer on high until ingredients are well blended and there are no lumps.  Chill until ready to serve. Makes 4 servings.      

Recipe #11: Valentine's Day Chili

I didn't have dinner with huzbers on Valentine's Day since he was at work.  To be honest, we don't really care much about Valentine's Day.  If we do anything it usually involves something silly like giving each other joke presents (tacky light up roses from the gas station or something).  Yesterday turned out awesome though because huzbers made me dinner from my favorite cookbook Appetite for Reduction and it was waiting for me when I got home.  He even left little lime wedges out!  Adorable. 

Eating Chipotle Chili with sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts by yourself while watching Unites States of Tara is not most people's idea of romance but to me it pretty much ruled.  The recipe calls for crushed coriander seed.  He admitted that his first his plan was to smash the seeds with a hammer.  He ended up using a rolling pin instead.  

Yum! Not too shabby for someone who says they can't cook.

Recipe #10: Three Two One: Blast Your Face Off Dressing

You'll find this recipe in the Engine 2 Diet Book as "Beam Me Up, Scottie" Dressing.  Of course I don't know the Scottie it is named after so I don't get the inside joke.  You can call it whatever you want.  This is so easy I kinda feel like a fool for not coming up with it on my own!  I served it over a bean and brown rice salad that I took to my first ever vegan potluck (with strangers) last week.  I was a little nervous but everyone was really nice and the food was ridiculously good.  What a great experience to go somewhere and be able to try EVERYTHING without asking questions and not having to hear things like: "Whoops- that has beef broth in it, does that count as meat?" after you have started chowing down.     

3 parts Balsamic vinegar

2 parts Dijon mustard

1 part Agave nectar

Black pepper to taste 

Whisk it up.  If you want it a little thinner just add a few drops of water.  

You'll find more Engine 2 marinades, dressings etc. here. 

Recipe #9: Drunk and Lazy Chili

Last winter we brewed a smoked porter that so smoky we couldn't drink it.  Fortunately, we found some great ways to cook with it!  This is a lazy chili because there is little chopping, a lot of cans and only one pot.  The porter adds a great depth to what otherwise might be a pretty typical veggie chili.        

1 can black beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can corn

3 cans chili ready chopped tomatoes

1 teaspoon each:

                cumin

                chili powder

                Sriarcha hot sauce (optional)

                garlic powder

1/2 c. (4 oz) smoked porter (Stone Smoked Porter would be perfect)

10 oz of veggie sausage style crumbles (or microwave patties and break up into small pieces) 

1 red onion diced

Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast- optional 

Rinse and drain beans and corn.  Put all ingredients except porter into crock pot and stir well.  Add porter very slowly while stirring so it doesn't get too foamy.  Cover and cook on low for 3- 5 hours, stirring occasionally during cook time.  Stir one more time before serving and adjust seasonings.  Top with cilantro and serve with corn bread or chips if desired.

Recipe #8: Tiggy's Walnut Pâté

Did you know that amazing things can happen when you soak nuts in water and then pulverize the living hell out of them in a food processor?  I always knew this in my heart I suppose.  After all, peanut butter and tahini are both totally outta sight!  I just feel like the day I made a salad dressing with cashews I opened a whole new world of possibilities.  In this recipe, walnuts are chopped, not pulverized (so go easy, tiger).  This fancy and fabulous party pâté is courtesy of Chef Tiggy:

 

3 cups walnuts, soaked in water
¼ cups soy sauce
¼ teaspoon cumin (or to taste)
2 scallions
2 carrots
2 celery stalks
1/4 -1/2 of a red pepper
Handful cilantro (optional)
1 clove garlic (or to taste)

Soak walnuts overnight.  Chop veggies into large chunks.  Drain walnuts and place together with veggies and remaining ingredients in food processor and process for 20-30 seconds.  Refrigerate until served.  Serve with pita, crackers, veggies, zucchini boats.

Loosely adapted from Raw Renegade    

Recipe #7: Roasted Beets and Garlic

Since I just posted a recipe for turnips, I thought it made sense to follow with a recipe for beets.  Like turnips, people are usually either indifferent, confused, or disgusted by beets.  I thought I hated them until last summer when I decided to give them another chance.  I bought some local beets, roasted them in olive oil and totally fell in love.  I recently converted my mom after we bought some at the Flint Farmer's Market a few weeks ago.  Beets are cheap, easy to find any time of year, super good for you, yummy hot or cold, and they are about the prettiest color veggie out there.  They add an awesome color to dishes, they are great for word play ("Yo! These are some dope beets!" groan) and Dwight Schrute grows them.  They are sweet and "earthy"--like candied dirt but better!  Not sold yet?  Well, give this a try:

Look how cool I am! I'm like a ruby that you can eat!

3-5 medium beets
3-5 teaspoons olive oil
3-5 cloves garlic, peeled
sea salt
pepper



Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Peel the beets.  You can roast them without peeling them and the skins will come off easily but you have to wait until they are cool enough to handle and it can be messy.  I like to just get it over with.  Place each peeled beet in the center of a square of aluminum foil big enough to cover it.  Drizzle each beet with 1 teaspoon olive oil and top with 1 clove of garlic.  Sprinkle with sea salt and crack some fresh pepper on them then wrap the foil so the beet and the garlic are snuggling closely (awww).  Place wrapped beets on a cookie sheet and stick them in the oven.  Check to see if they are "forking tender" (hee hee) after 45 minutes.  To do this, CAREFULLY open one of the foil packages and stick a fork in the largest beet (since that is the one that will take the longest to cook).  You'll want to avoid dripping searing hot olive oil on your skin at all costs.  Give them another 10-15 minutes if they are not done yet.  After that, remove them from the oven and carefully peel back the foil and let them cool down a little.  Slice the beets or cut them into chunks and mince the garlic.  Reserve the olive oil that you used for roasting.  You'll notice that your knife and cutting board are now covered with an awesome magenta color.  Don't worry about it, just rinse them off and they should be fine.  Put beets and garlic in a container and drizzle with the reserved oil.  Add a little more salt and pepper to taste.  Eat them now or put them in the fridge to eat on salads later on.  In Appetite for Reduction, there is a recipe for roasted beets that uses no oil- just beets in foil.  This is a great option if you are not wanting the extra calories from the oil.  

Beet Greens 
If you bought beets with the greens on and the leaves look bright and aren't limp, eat 'em up!  Wash them well, remove leaves from the stems, chop the stems and saute them by themselves in 1/2 Tablespoon olive oil.  After 5 minutes, add the chopped leaves and a Tablespoon of water, stir well and cover.  Leaves should wilt after about 3 minutes.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper and a few drops of lemon juice.  If you have walnuts, chop them up and add them too.  Walnuts and greens are pretty much a perfect combo in my book.  

     

Recipe #6: Steamed Turnips

Steamed turnips?!  Barf!  This must be a joke.  

No, it is not a joke.  Steamed turnips are actually not barf at all.  You don't hear about turnips much so it makes us think they must be weird or gross.  As it turns out, they are an awesome but unfortunately under-appreciated veggie.  The consistency is like a potato but they have way more flavor so you don't have to do too much to them to make them really delicious.  You can usually find them with or without the greens still attached.  The greens are great steamed too- wash them well, remove stems and add them to the steamer during the last 3-4 minutes of cooking time.     

We are turnips and we are adorable.

2-4 turnips, peeled and cut into large chunks

lemon juice

salt and pepper

Steam turnips for 15- 20 minutes.  They should be "forking tender" as my mom says (hee- hee).  Remove from steamer basket and put turnips into a serving bowl.  Top with lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.  Serve as is or mash them up with a potato masher.  That's it.     

Engine 2 Diet

I recently purchased the Engine 2 Diet book after finding it used on Amazon.  I was sick with a nasty cold yesterday and spend most of the day in bed reading this little gem cover to cover.  The author, Rip Esselstyn, is  the picture of perfect health.  He follows a 100% low fat vegan diet, competes in triathlons, is a firefighter in Austin, and is pretty easy on the eyes to boot (hee-hee).  The book has some great stories about Rip helped many of his not-so-fit firefighter friends start following his healthy diet.  They were amazed when their cholesterol plummeted along with their weight after just a short time.  It is pretty inspirational AND the recipes look awesome: sweet potato-vegetable lasagna, an alfredo sauce made with tofu, cashews, and soymilk, kale "butter" made with walnuts, and lemon cornmeal pancakes just to name a few.  There is a super simple salad dressing recipe that is only balsamic vinegar, mustard (I'd use dijon), agave nectar and water.  I will be experimenting with several of these recipes and will be sure to report results asap.         

Recipe #5: Tiggy's Edamame Hummus

Edamame is so good! I love tahini in hummus but man does it pack a punch when it comes to calories and fat. This is a new and much lighter version of my all-time favorite dip.          

2 cups edamame, shelled and cooked to package directions

¼ cup soybean oil (olive would work)

3 Tbs lemon juice

2 tsp chopped garlic (or to taste)

¾ tsp ground cumin (or to taste)

½ tsp salt

Puree edamame, oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin and salt in food processor for 30-60 seconds, scrapping sides twice, until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serve with pita, crackers, baguette or raw veggies.

Yield: 2 ½ cups. Per 2 TBS serving: 60 calories, 5 g fat (0g Sat fat), 90 mg sodium, 3 g carbohydrate, 2 g protein, 1 g fiber.

Adapted from Soyfoods Guide

Recipe #4: Snow Day Bean Soup

So, there is a giant blizzard in the Midwest and my office was closed today.  Not counting the 1/2 a bottle of vodka in my freezer leftover from my birthday 4 months ago and way too many bottles of hot sauce, these were about all the ingredients that I had.  Old-timey bean soup recipes usually call for animal hocks, hooves, tails, or "frames" which I think is just another word for carcass.  I used liquid smoke which adds a rich and meaty flavor that makes it seem traditional.  If the soup doesn't warm you up, the after effects of the beans and the cabbage will- hee hee! 

10 c. cold water

2 c. (1 lb) bagged mixed soup beans without seasoning, rinsed and picked over

1 small head green cabbage, chopped into shreds

1 large yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 Tablespoons Better Than Bouillon Vegetarian Soup Base (I used the "No Chicken" kind) 

1/2 Tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos (tamari or low sodium soy sauce work fine)

1/2 Tablespoon liquid smoke

Freshly ground pepper to taste
Few drops of Sriacha or other hot sauce to taste (optional)

In a large heavy bottomed stock pot, combine beans, water and bouillon and set over a high flame.  Add all other ingredients and stir well.  Wait until soup comes to a very low boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low.  Simmer for 3-4 hours with the lid on.  Stir soup about every half hour.  If it comes to a boil again, reduce heat to low prevent beans from bursting.  Check beans to see if they are done- should be tender not firm- and remove from heat. Adjust seasonings and replace lid.  Set aside for at least 10 minutes to cool a little before serving.  This is one of those soups that is going to be even better the next day.  Since there is so much of it, it may be a good idea to freeze portions for later.  I think it will be quite cozy hanging out in my freezer next to the vodka.         

Recipe #3: Five Bean Salad

A good friend's mom used to always have a variation of this salad in her fridge.  She told me how to make it about 20 years ago and I still love it and make it quite often.  It is ridiculously easy and it is great to bring to cook-outs and potlucks.  You can use whatever canned beans you like but I like this variation because of the different colors and textures of the beans involved. 

1 can garbanzo beans

1 can kidney beans

1 can butter beans

1 can lima beans

1 can black beans

1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

3 drops of hot sauce (Frank's Red Hot is a good bet)

Sea salt

freshly ground black pepper

Drain and rinse the beans really well in a large colander.  Shake off excess water.  Pour beans into a large container with a tight fitting lid.  Add remaining ingredients and cover with lid.  Shake well to coat beans with dressing.  Chill for at least 30 minutes before serving and shake well again.  Add more salt and pepper if needed.  Sometimes I'll put extras in there like corn, cumin and lime or dried basil, garlic and lemon.  This is a hard one to mess up so feel free to get creative.  Makes about 15 side dish servings --about 1/2 c. each.       

Better Homes and Gardens Salad Book

Old cookbooks are hilarious to me.  I have a small collection and I intend to add to it every chance I get.  Yesterday I stopped at an antique store in Portland (between Lansing and Grand Rapids) and I bought a Better Homes and Gardens Salad Book.  It turns out that this particular cookbook was a bestseller in 1958 and was in the top ten for non-fiction that year.  Well, people didn't have taste buds in 1958 apparently.  For the most part, these recipes are shocking and disgusting.  Why were people so obsessed with gelatin back then?  Almost every recipe is a mold of some sort.  What is funny about this book is that I think the recipes are supposed to be kind of fancy but they are so weird.  Here are a few of my favorites: 

Melon Polka-dot Mold   

2 packages cherry flavored gelatin

2 c. boiling water

13/4 c. cold water

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

1- 8 oz package cream cheese rolled into balls

11/2 c cantaloupe balls

2/3 c. pecan  halves

and then.....

1/2 c. sliced STUFFED GREEN OLIVES! WHAT!?

The gist of the recipe is that you are supposed to trap the above ingredients in a blood red dome of jello. This was apparently totally acceptable to serve your guests on an summer afternoon.  The heading at the top of the page is: "Capture the beauty of fruit in shimmery molded salads!"    

Banana Ham Rolls

6 thin slices of boiled ham

Prepared mustard

3 medium green tipped bananas

Melted butter 

Perfectly innocent sliced bananas are smothered with mustard-drenched ham slices.  Together, they die a slow buttery death in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes.  

Here is a recipe that the book labels: "Easy for the junior chef":

Drain chilled canned pear halves and sandwich together with mayonnaise

Top with shredded American cheese and trim with green olives

This isn't a recipe, this is a dare.  No one should eat this unless someone is willing to give them $10 just to take a tiny bite.  

My favorite recipe of all the demented recipes in the book is this one:

Hot Potato Salad in Frankfurter Ring

The long and the short of this recipe is that you combine cooked diced potatoes, mayonnaise, vinegar, sugar, and 8 slices of crumbled bacon in a round baking dish that has been lined with a fortress of 10 erect wieners.  You then bake this offensive mess in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Right before serving, you top the thing with sliced hard cooked eggs--just to add insult to injury.  By the time you digest your first bite, you are pregnant and you have had a heart attack.  Delicious!  

Lemony Salmon Tower of Doom

There is a whole section in the book on molded meat salads.  Tangy Tuna Mousse Squares, Lemony Salmon Tower, and the Shrimp Lime Double Decker are all about trapping canned seafood in gelatin.  Most of these salads have more meat than vegetables.  As you can see, the pictures in the book actually do more harm than good.

All in all, this cookbook was well worth $3, especially since now I know how to make a "hearty ham salad men go for".  They recommend serving the manly ham salad with bacon wrapped franks and hard rolls.  No joke.              

Recipe # 2: Tiggy's Shepherd’s Pie

A perfect winter recipe!  My good friend Tiggy sent this to me.  She is a great cook and this recipe was easy and awesome.  The original recipe calls for mashed potatoes only, adding the cauliflower was my touch.  Instead of corn and celery you could use just about any veggie- parsnips are great in this dish too.      

One 32 oz carton of vegetable broth    

½ cup uncooked barley

1 cup uncooked lentils

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced
2 medium carrots, diced
1 cup celery, diced

½ cup corn

½ cup Boca or Morningstar crumbles (sausage) OR 1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced

1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder

1/8-1/4 tsp each Rosemary, Sage, and Italian Seasoning (or to taste)
1/3 cup soy sauce or Bragg’s amino acid

2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 c. chopped cauliflower
about 1/3 cup vegetarian broth 

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes    

Salt and pepper to taste

Olive oil cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Reserve 1/3 c. vegetable broth and set aside.  

In a covered saucepan, bring remaining vegetable broth, barley and lentils to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

In a large pot, add potatoes and cauliflower and cover generously with water.  Boil potatoes for 20-25 minutes.  Drain well and return to pot.  Mash well with a potato masher, adding the nutritional yeast and reserved broth as needed to reach desired consistency.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

In a large skillet, stir fry onions, carrots, celery, corn, mushrooms or crumbles and all remaining seasonings in oil for about 10 minutes.

Add the cooked barley and lentils to the skillet.  Mix well until combined.  Add more seasonings if needed.   

Spray cooking spray into a large casserole pan and add barley mixture to pan.  "Frost" the top with mashed potatoes and cauliflower.  Spray frosting utensil with cooking spray to avoid potatoes sticking.

 Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.  Serves 8-10. 

Recipe #1: Smoky Eggplant!

This is so easy and it is ridiculously good.  

1 large eggplant

4 Tablespoons Bragg’s or lower sodium tamari

1 pinch garlic powder

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ Tablespoon liquid smoke

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
Freshly ground pepper to taste
Olive oil cooking spray

Peel eggplant and cut into large chunks that are as close in size to one another as possible.  Place eggplant in a single layer in a large dish with a lid.  Combine all other ingredients except nutritional yeast in a small bowl.   Drizzle marinade and sprinkle nutritional yeast over eggplant chunks. Stir well to coat evenly.  Cover with lid and leave in the fridge for an hour.   After the hour is up, stir eggplant again and take out of fridge. Spray a very large frying pan or wok with olive oil cooking spray and heat over medium heat.  Add eggplant and stir fry until very tender- 5-10 minutes. Makes 2 side dish servings. 

Welcome!

Oh no! Another food blog!!! Just what the world needs. To make matters worse, it is a VEGAN recipe blog! Ugh! 

Yes, it's true. I have created a vegan recipe blog. Sorry folks, but I love to cook and I love recipes and I feel the need to tell the world that cooking and eating this way is actually super fun. I promise not to get preachy and I would never claim that portobello mushrooms can taste just like bacon.  What I will do is share some of the recipes that I have come up with (only the yummy ones) and since I know a lot of great cooks, I'll also post recipes from my friends and family.  All of these recipes are vegan and focus on using healthy ingredients that are minimally processed. Woo-hoo! Let's get cooking!