White Beans with Sun Dried Tomatoes

For our wedding, a great friend recently gifted us with a vegan cookbook that I found this in.  This dish is amazing!  The sun dried tomatoes add an almost smoky flavor to the dish, and the beans make it very hearty.  It is also amazingly easy to make, so it is a perfect week night dish!  This would be great served over pasta or polenta.

1 cup sun dried tomatoes, either oil packed or dry, coarsely chopped
1 TBSP olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
3 zucchini, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
3 cups fresh spinach
3 cans cannelloni beans
1 cup water
1/2 tsp ground sage
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 cup fresh basil, thinly ribbon cut
salt and fresh ground pepper

If using dried tomatoes, soak them in hot water for about 30-40 minutes.

Heat the oil in a large sized saute pan.  Add the onion and cook until soft and transparent, about 5 minutes.  Add the squash and cook another 5 minutes.  Add the garlic, spinach, sun dried tomatoes, beans, water, sage, salt, black pepper and red pepper.  Stir to combine and cook for about 10 minutes longer.  Stir in the basil and serve!
* From The Vegan Table, Colleen Patrick-Goudreau

Creamy Farfalle with Cremini, Asparagus and Walnuts

If you are like me, you decided that any 'creamy' pasta went out with the word vegan.  Not now! With a little prep, an amazingly filling, satisfying, and truly creamy pasta dish can be all yours.  This is the ultimate in vegan comfort food, and is totally perfect for a cold night and sleepy time...not the 110 day that it is here now!

1 lb Farfalle or  Garofalo pasta
3 TBSP Earth Balance
1 lb Cremini mushrooms, thick sliced
1 lb thin asparagus, sliced in 2" pieces
1 cup vegan mascarpone cheese (see below - prepared ahead)
1 cup walnut pieces
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Mascarpone Cheese:
8 oz tub of vegan cream cheese
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
1/4 vegan creamer

About an hour prior to cooking, mix the cream cheese, sour cream, and creamer together in a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Quickly remove the cheese mixture to a bowl and allow it to cool in the refrigerator for about an hour.  The mixture will quickly thicken and become a perfect consistency.

Once the cheese has thickened for about an hour, bring a large pot of water to a boil to cook your pasta.  When the water is boiling, salt the water well and add the pound of pasta.  Cook until al dente, about 12 minutes.  Drain and reserve about a 1/2 cup of pasta water just in case you need to thin the mixture at the end.

Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in the Earth Balance for about 5 minutes, until tender and most of the juices have evaporated.  Add the asparagus and cook until crisp tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the pasta and mascarpone, grating some fresh nutmeg on top before folding all the ingredients together.  If you feel the mixture is a little thick, add pasta water a little at a time.  I found that it was the perfect consistency without any water.  Add the walnuts and mix everything together well.    Season the pasta well with salt and pepper and additional nutmeg if needed.

Enjoy! Mmm...

Wild Rice Cornbread Stuffing

As my husband said perfectly... "It feels like I'm cheating on the holidays, but this is SO good!"  The only reason I have a stuffing recipe up in JULY is that we had some leftover cornbread that needed eating  (see October 2008, Comforting Cornbread)!  I now know that we will be eating cornbread much more frequently in this household!  This is a 2 step recipe, but just do like I did...plan it over 2 meals!

3 cups of crumbled cornbread (see Oct '08)
2 1/2 cups veggie stock, divided
2 cups water
1 cup wild rice
1 TBSP olive oil
1 cup finely chopped yellow onion
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 TBSP finely chopped parsley
1 tsp finely chopped oregano leaves
1 tsp finely chopped sage leaves
1 cup toasted pecans
1/4 cup Earth Balance
salt and pepper

In a medium saucepan, boil together rice, 2 cups of veggie stock, and water.  Once boiling, cover and reduce to a low simmer, cooking for about an hour. It may feel awkward to you to add so much liquid to the rice, but this is done on purpose to create a more 'wet' rice or the stuffing.  Once complete, drain the rice.  When there is about 20 minutes before the rice is completed, saute the onion and celery in oil until softened (5 minutes).  Add the oregano, parsley, sage, salt and pepper and cook about 1 minute more.  Remove from heat.  In preparation for the rice, also preheat the oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease a 9" casserole dish with Earth Balance spread. Finally, toast the pecan pieces.

Once the rice is cooked and drained, combine that with the onion/celery mixture, crumbled cornbread, and toasted pecans.  Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish and add the remaining veggie stock and 1/4 cup melted Earth Balance over the entire top.  Bake in the oven for 20 minutes!

Tomato Cucumber Salad

Back from Nicaragua and our garden is just BUSTING! As some of my readers know, my husband and I have a little farm over here....chickens (eggs for him :), fruit trees, and a few quite lucrative gardens. Upon our arrival home after 3 weeks, we have more veggies than we know what to do with. Figuratively, of course, since I am about to share some recipes of what to do in exactly this situation :) Almost all of this can come from your spring/summer garden!

1 lb cucumbers (about 2) peeled and cut into half moons

1 1/2 lb tomatoes, preferably Roma, quartered lengthwise and chopped

1/2 sweet onion, cut into thin half moons

2 TBSP fresh parsley

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP apple cider vinegar

Salt and Pepper

Cut it all up and season liberally. You need to wait at least 10 minutes to eat, but I like to cover it and let it all macerate in the fridge until it gets all married and yummy!

Enjoy!

Poor Man's Roasted Veggie Paella

Hearty, delicious... This stuff is the bomb! Im too cheap to buy a $20.00 bottle of saffron to do paella the right way, so I subbed in tumeric to get the "overall general idea". Whatever that officially makes the dish..paella...taella... It's yummy. Go make yourself some!

3 cups veggie stock

2 tsp tumeric

1 large red bell pepper, cut into strips

1 large green bell pepper, cut into strips

1/2 lb zucchini, chopped

2 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried thyme

1 large onion, chopped

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped

3 plum tomatoes, chopped

1 1/2 cup Arborio rice

Bring broth and tumeric to a boil over medium high heat, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, place red and green bell peppers and zucchini and 1 TBSp olive oil into an even layer in a glass pan. Sprinkle the veggies evenly with the dried thyme and oregano. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes at 400 degrees. And then while all THAT is going.... sautee onion, garlic, jalapeno in remaining 1 TBSP of oil over medium heat for about 20-25 minutes or until they are caramelized. Drop down the heat a little and add the tomatoes and rice, stirring often, for about 3-5 minutes. Add the broth mixture to the skillet and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes. Make sure that you stir once after 15 minutes to check on the progress of the rice. You want all the liquid to be absorbed and look all fat and plump and super moist! FINALLY, mix in the roasted veggies you did in the oven and cook for maybe 5 minutes to really integrate all those flavors. Enjoy!

Spiced Apples....or Peaches....

No one said that ALL vegan dishes were healthy and low calories.... case in point :) This super delicious recipe is something that I like to do when I have company over. It can be in the pot ready to roll after dinner...just turn on the pot, simmer down, and serve warm over soy/rice/coconut ice cream. It is a big hit and makes the house smell DIVINE! The awesome thing is that this can also be done with peaches. Which is what I will be doing later tonight to try and thin out our stockpile of peaches on that busting tree!!!

1/2 cup Earth Balance

8 large Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced (or peaches)

1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium high heat, add all remaining ingredients and saute until tender (about 15-20 minutes).

Yeah buddy!!

Cilantro Rice

Talk about fresh and delicious! This stuff helps to take away Mexican food cravings....in a super healthy way! I make this rice and serve it along side my Corn Zucchini Sautee (January 2010) for a full meal. YUMM!! I served this for dinner last night, and I think that Im going to make it again!

1 1/2 cup white basmati rice

2 cups water

1 garlic clove

1 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1 cup loosely packed cilantro
1/2 yellow onion

4 full green onions

4 WHITES only of the green onion

1 1/2 TBSP lime juice

1 1/2 TBSP jalapeno (with seeds)

1 tsp olive oil

Cook the rice: Place the rice, water, 1 tsp of salt, and the garlic clove in a saucepan and bring it to a boil. Once it boils, lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until all the water has evaporated, between 15-20 minutes. Watch this closely.... Better for the rice to be a little wet and take it off the heat covered to let it keep steaming vs. cooked too long and too dry. This is important!

As the rice cooks, place the remaining items (dont forget the 1/2 tsp salt) in a blender or a min-prep and puree.

Once the rice is cook, fluff it and allow it to cool. Once more cool, mix in the puree into the rice and blend well. Serve and enjoy....

Sesame-Vegetable Lo-Mein

I super need to buy a wok! Not sure how I have been vegan this whole time without one, actually! This recipe is worth buying one, too. Like all stir fry, the hardest part is the veggie prep. But then at the end you realize how it was ALL worth it! To start, I generally toast up a load of sesame seeds. Personally, I love them and use more than 2 TBSP...but that is just me! I think that they make the dish.

1/2 package of vermicelli (I prefer whole wheat)

3 TBSP dark sesame oil, divided

2 cups fresh sugar snap peas

1 large bell pepper, sliced into strips

2 carrots, shredded

4 green onions, cut thicker at a diagonal

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp fresh grated ginger

1/2 tsp red chili flakes

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 TBSP water

2 TBSP sesame seeds, toasted

Prepare the pasta according to the package directions. While cooking, generally I go ahead and cook the veggies so that everything is ready at the same time. Heat TWO TBSP of the sesame oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high for about 1 minute. Add ALL the veggies, garlic, ginger, and red chili pepper and stir fry for 5-7 minutes or until crisp tender. Stir in the soy sauce and 1 TBSP of water. Get two HUGE tongs or tossing agents and add the pasta, tossing until thoroughly heated. Remove from heat and add in the remaining TBSP of oil and sesame seeds. Taste and season as needed with soy. Mmmm..

Potato, Pea, and Corn Samosa DE-LIGHT

Love me some Indian food....and good samosas are my favorite!! As delicious as the dough is, the filling is the best!! Here is a recipe for the filling, but not the dough. I am sure that you can find good vegan dough recipes around OR vegan phyllo. Personally, I make this filling and just eat it straight or wrap it up in a tortilla or na'an for the same idea!! One more thing... Im a spicer! Especially when dealing with potatoes, I believe in seasoning at each step along the way. Please, use your taste buds as a guide for your salt and pepper. Heaven knows I always use way more than I list here at the end.... I use until it tastes right!

2 medium baking potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)

1 medium onion, chopped

1 ear fresh corn, cut off the cob

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 habanero pepper, fine dice

3 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tsp fresh grated ginger

4 green onion, chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp tumeric

1 tsp chili powder

1 TBSP coriander

2 tsp salt

1/2 lemon

Peel, cube, and boil your potatoes. Meanwhile, saute the ginger, garlic, and pepper at medium high heat for about 2 minutes. Add all the spices to the pan and allow to cook for under a minute, making the house super fragrant. Quickly add your onions to his mixture - they need some moisture about now - and cook those down until they are translucent. At this point, stir in the peas and corn for another minute or two, until thoroughly heated. Take the onion/spice mixture off the heat and stir in the juice of 1/2 a lemon.

At the point at which the potatoes are done, drain and mash your potatoes with a fork. Combine the spice/onion mixture with the potatoes and mix and mix some more until WELL joined! Season and add the green onions to the mix. This will make the flavor bright and fresh, and I just love them!

Enjoy!

Versatile Tomato Sauce

Everyone needs a great recipe for tomato sauce....something easy and impressive that surprises people on a daily basis and is just downright good!! You can whip up some up as a topper for pizza, pasta, to top bread for bruschetta....be creative. We have an herb garden now which makes this recipe a breeze to make at any time.

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 TBSP fresh oregano

1 TBSP fresh thyme

2 TBSP fresh basil

1 OR 2 cans of diced tomatoes

** 1 will make it VERY powerful...good for bruschetta, etc....depends your taste buds. 2 is smooth. As much as it is tempting to get 'Italian Style" etc diced tomatoes, stick with the plain ones since the fresh herbs make this SOO powerful.

In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil garlic, thyme, oregano, and basil. Cook until fragrant and add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for about 7 to 8 minutes to reduce the amount and concentrate the flavor.

Not AT ALL healthy, but WOW! Peach Cobbler

Wow.... No point in it being vegan since it is SO bad for you.... But it is SOOO good going down!

You can use canned peaches with this if you choose. I would try 3 cans peaches with liquid and corn starch to thicken up the juice.

4 cups sliced peaches

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup water

4 TBSP Earth Balance

1 1/2 cups self rising flour

1 1/2 cups soy milk

ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp vanilla

Get your oven heating up to 350 degrees.

On the range, combine the peaches, 1 CUP sugar, vanilla, and water in a saucepan and mix well. Bring this mixture to a boil and then let it simmer for about 10 minutes. Take it off the heat.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a 3qt dish by throwing it into that heating oven. In another bowl, mix the remaining 1 cup sugar, flour, and soy milk slowly into a batter. Pour this over the butter in your dish. Then, spoon the peaches mixture and juice over the batter carefully. You want to create layers. During cooking, the batter mixture will float to the top. Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and bake for 30-45 minutes. Try not to burn your tongue since you will be wanting to scarf it down the moment it is out.

And yes, make this even more healthy by serving that warm goodness with vanilla soy ice cream.... Heaven...

Tropical Fruit Salad

Fruit Salad... is what you make of it. It is all delicious, but sometimes you have it and something about it made it spectacular. In my opinion....this stuff is that!

1 container of strawberries, quartered

2 mangos, cut into smaller chunks

3 kiwi fruits, cut into half moons

1/3 of a cantaloupe (optional)

The dressing:

4 TBSP agave

3 TBSP fresh chopped mint

3 TBSP fresh squeezed lime juice

1 tsp lime zest

Mix the dressing with the chopped fruit and let it sit for a long while (I prefer overnight) in the fridge. It will get all sweet and cozy and delicious....right in time for you to eat it!

Guacamole Salad

This stuff melts in your mouth... And even though it is just like guacamole, it is nothing like guacamole since you keep the avocados in chunks when you serve it versus mashing them. Either way it is super delicious.

It is sitting in the refrigerator at this very moment taunting me...telling me to eat more!

For the salad:

2 jalapenos, minced

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 pint of grape tomatoes, cut in halves

2/3 cup diced red onion

1 can of black beans

1/2 tsp lime zest

3 ripe, small Haas avocados *** cut into 1/2" squares but WAIT until the end to use

For the dressing:

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh cracked black pepper

1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (2-3 limes)

1/2 tsp minced garlic

Cut up all the items for the salad and toss to combine. DO NOT add the avos to the salad until the moment you are about to serve it. This is one of the yummies that makes this salad perfect.

Whisk together all the dressing items and coat the salad items. You can allow these to sit together (at room temperature) before serving. Moments before you serve, carefully fold in the avocado pieces into your salad/dressing mixture, adjust the seasonings and enjoy!

Brown Rice with Toasted Almonds and Parsley

This is a main staple at our house.... It is a way to accent the nuttiness of brown rice and make it irresistible. When you add nuts to anything it becomes irresistible to me. THE TRICK: USE SHORT GRAIN BROWN RICE, people!! You don't need to cook brown rice for the ridiculous 45 minutes when you use my method with short grain!

This will change your life.... But be warned...doubling this recipe will increase your cook time.

1 veggie bouillon cube

1 1/2 cup water

1 cup SHORT GRAIN brown rice

1 garlic clove

1 cup toasted and chopped almonds, chopped fine

1/2 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley

Salt and pepper

Bring the 1 1/2 cup water to boil with the veggie bouillon cube in there. Once at a boil, salt your water some. Add the rice and a whole garlic clove. Cover, bring the heat to low, and wait for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, the visible water should be evaporated. Turn off your heat and let the pan sit. This is the steaming phase of your cooking.

SIDE NOTE: So - you SHOULD let it sit. I feel that it is already quite cooked at this point and only allow it to sit for about 5 minutes since I am so anxious. You MAY run into it being quite moist since you havent allowed ample time for steamage. I feel that it is fine. Just a side note...

Once cooked, toss in your toasted almonds and parsley and reseason with s and p. Mmmmmm

Corn Salad with Basil Dressing

Oh my! I love this stuff! I have dreams about this stuff! I am growing these items in my garden JUST so that I can make a continuous supply of this stuff! Try it! Yes, there is a lot of veggie chopping prep work, but there is for anything that is good...right?

1/2 lb fingerling or very small red potatoes, boil and cut into halves

4 ears of corn, kernals cut off the corn

2 cups of cherry tomatoes, cut in halves

1 1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper

1/4 cup shallots

3 TBSP white balsamic vinegar

1 TBSP dijon mustard

1/2 tsp salt (plus more to season at end)

1/2 tsp pepper (plus more to season at end)

3 TBSP olive oil

6 cups arugula (or other greens mix)

1/2 cup torn basil leaves

Place your potatoes in a small saucepan and boil for 12 or so minutes. Remember to put your potatoes in the cold water and bring the entire pot to a boil (or they get funky on the inside!). Once done, run under cold water and set aside. Cut into halves once cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together your shallots, vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper, and dijon. This is the delicious dressing for your fresh and crunchy veggies!

To make it easy, simply mix together all your veggies in one bowl - corn, red bell pepper, tomatoes, basil, arugula, and potatoes. Toss the dressing all over your delicious, re-season with salt and pepper and serve.

To consider - if you toss it all together in one step, you will get less dressing on each individual item. If you toss everything BUT the arugula in the dressing and then serve the salad ON the arugula, you get more. Ive had it both ways - both are great. I might serve it the second method first and then decide from there the next time you make it.

Because there will be a next time, trust me....

Slap Ya Mama Banana Bread

Sorry, Mom..... you know that is just an expression. This is melt in your mouth, add 10 lbs because you can't stop eating it, kind of delicious! I can't even believe that it is vegan!

You're going to use my favorite "vegan buttermilk" trick for this one. I adapted this recipe from "anonymous" on the web...wish I could take credit for it! Great job, Anonymous!

1 tsp vinegar

1/3 cup nondairy milk

1 3/4 cups flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup mashed bananas (I use 3)

1/2 cup veggie oil

3 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer and 5 TBSP warm water (egg mixture)

1 cup walnuts or pecans

Preheat your oven to 325 and grease 2 loaf pans. Also, create your 'buttermilk' mixture by combining the vinegar and nondairy milk. Set that aside.

In one bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt.

In a bowl, mix together bananas, oil, and 'buttermilk'.

Combine the banana mixture and flour mixture, stir well.

Add in the egg replacer and the nuts.

Pour into your prepared loaf pans and bake for 1 hour, 15 minutes or until the fork comes out clean trick!! ENJOY!!

Blueberry Cornbread with Maple Syrup

So....we're going to revisit an old favorite recipe of mine and change it up for breakfast time. Talk about sinful and a Saturday morning breakfast treat.... Basically, you're making my cornbread recipe, adding 1/2 a cup or so of fresh blueberries, and when it comes out of the oven in that cast iron skillet all warm and toasty, serve it with some warm 100% pure maple syrup...or even just some agave... What a treat....

1 cup organic corn meal
1 cup unbleached flour
1 cup rice or soy milk
1/2 cup sugar or sugar substitute
1/3 cup of vegetable, corn, or canola oil
3 teaspoon Ener-G Egg Replacer
4 tablespoon water
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup fresh blueberries

WarM maple syrup to top

Directions:Preheat oven to 375 degrees.Mix water and Ener-G Egg Replacer until there are no white lumps or residue. put to side. Mix dry ingredients in a med to lg mixing bowl. (If you use a vegan sugar substitute, note that not all subs are 1:1)

Mix in soymilk, oil, then egg replacer. mix well. Fold in the blueberries. Grease baking pan with oil or vegan margarine. I use a medium cast iron skillet for my vegan cornbread and swear that it comes out better.Pour mix in pan and bake for 20-25 min or until you can poke the center with a toothpick and it comes out clean. Slice and enjoy with some maple syrup over the top..

Linguine with Walnut Sage Pesto

If you are one of those people who loves creamy pastas and didn't know how you could ever go totally vegan....well here is your solution! This stuff is like creamy, cheesy crack....without all the animal product heavy body lug afterwards. Try it out and see what Im talking about.

2/3 cups walnuts

a little more than 1/2 package of whole wheat linguine

1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley

1 packed TBSP fresh chopped sage leaves

1 very large garlic clove or a few smaller ones (not too many since it will be raw in your dish)

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper, plus additional to taste

2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

4 TBSP rice parmesan cheese**

*if you have never seen this, try the veg refrigerated section at a Whole Foods equivalent. It is in a similar canister to regular parm cheese, but it is in a blue or purple can and it says Rice Topping

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and toast the walnuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Watch this closely - about 8 minutes. There is a delicate sweet spot between perfectly toasted and burnt. Take off the sheet and allow to cool.

Bring a large pot of water to boil. At the point of boiling, add a liberal pinch of salt to the water. Cook the linguine to al dente (about a minute before being fully cooked where there is still a bite to it). Drain, but RESERVE a 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Combine the parsley, sage, garlic, salt, black pepper, and walnuts in a blender until finely chopped. Drizzle in the olive oil and blend well. Add 3 TBSP of the "cheese", pulse quickly to combine.

Transfer the pesto to a bowl and add the pasta water, stirring to create a creamy texture to the blender mix. Add the drained pasta to the creamy style pesto. Top with the remaining cheese if you choose and add additional pepper to taste. Enjoy!

Thai Curried Chickpeas

My dad gave me this pressure cooker last Christmas, certain that it was the perfect vegan gift. I, not really knowing about these crazy contraptions, tucked the thing away, oddly curious and a little scared of the steam trap. I think that I had these cartoon visions of the steam not escaping enough and basically blowing up in my face as I released the lid.

The good news is that really doesnt happen....AND now that I have started using it I DO think that it is God's gift to the vegans!! These things are amazing!! So - forgive me if I get a little heavy on the pressure cooker recipes at the moment :)

This stuff is YUMMY and filling!! My new favorite meal is to serve this over a bed of brown rice and a lot of steamed kale...all together....mmmm....

Tool Needed: PRESSURE COOKER!!

1 bag of chickpeas, soaked overnight and then some....maybe even 2 days! :)

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP mild or hot curry

3 cups light coconut milk

1/2 cup water

1 TBSP minced garlic

1 lb sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1"chunks

1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes, including liquid

1 5oz pkg of baby spinach

2 TBSP tamari or soy sauce

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1/2 cup minced basil

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. In the cooker, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the curry and briefly saute for a few seconds until aromatic. Add the chickpeas, coconut milk, water, garlic, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure and then lower just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 18-20 minutes. Allow the pressure to release naturally, or place the pot under cold water for the quick-release method (cooling pot down quickly by the use of the water).

Remove the lid. If the chickpeas are not tender, replace the lid (without locking) and smmer until the chickpeas are done. If you soak for an extended time, this should not happen.

Add the soy sauce to taste and break up the sweet potatoes and stir to create a thick sauce. Stir in the spinach and simmer uncovered for 1 minute. Top with cilantro and basil (DONT forget the basil!! :) Serve over brown rice.

adapted from Austin American Statesman

Risotto With Kale and Gremolata

I know... you're thinking to yourself, "It cant be done! Risotto is a dish filled with cheese!" Well, hungry friends, think again! Ive found a way that this can be done with a pressure cooker!!

Tools: Pressure Cooker Needed!!

1 TBSP Olive Oil

2 TBSP chopped garlic

1 cup finely chopped onions

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

3 1/2 cups veggie stock

salt to taste

3 cups tightly packed, finely chopped kale

2 TBSP grated lemon peel

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Freshly ground pepper

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

Heat the oil in the pressure cooker and cook the garlic over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 1-2 minutes or golden brown. Promptly add the onions and continue cooking, stirring often, for 2 minutes. Add the rice, stirring to coat with oil, then add the veggie stock and the salt.

Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring the cooker to high pressure and lower the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 4 minutes. Reduce the pressure by placing the pot under cold water until you can loosen the lid/all the steam has escaped. Stir in the kale and continue to cook uncovered, over medium heat, until the kale is done and the rice is tender but still chewy, about 4-5 minutes. If the risotto isnt creamy, stir in a bit more stock as the kale cooks.

Just before serving, stir in the lemon peel, parsley, and pepper. Next, stir in just enough lemon juice to punch up the flavors. Serve immediately.

adapted from Austin American Statesman

Sauteed Brussels Sprouts and Shallots

2 TBSP olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced shallots

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tsp sugar

1 lb brussels sprouts, thinly sliced lengthwise

salt and pepper

Heat a large skillet with oil over medium high heat. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes, or until almost tender. Add the garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the sugar and brussels sprouts. Cook for 5 minutes or until brown. Season with salt and pepper.

Crispy Potatoes with Fennel

My boyfriend LOVES this recipe.....at dinner....and then again at breakfast!

1 fennel bulb

3 TBSP olive oil

2 lb red potatoes, thinly sliced

2 tsp choped fresh thyme

1 1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 475. Slice the fennel thinly. Add oil to a 9 inch cast iron skillet. Arrange half the potatoes slices in the skillet. Layer the fennel slices and remaining potatoes. Sprinkle with the thyme, salt, and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 15 minutes until the potatoes are browned.

Spicy Potato and Peas Curry

This is like the easiest and most delicious meal around....

2-3 TBSP oil

1 large potato, peeled and diced

1 medium onion, sliced coarse

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 jalapeno, minced

2 tomatoes, diced

1/2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds

4 TBSP corinader

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 dash of tumeric

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the cumin seeds and stir until brown, followed by the jalapeno and saute for a few minutes. Add the red pepper, tumeric, and ginger and cook for 30 seconds. Saute onions until transparent. Add the potatoes, 1/4 cup water and when half cooked add salt, tomatoes, and peas. Continue until done and serve with rice!

African Sweet Potato and Peanut Soup

This is so super delicious...

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1 large onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, sliced

4 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cayenne

1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes, chopped

3 large celery stalks

3 medium carrots

3 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped

5 - 6 cups water

1 tsp salt

3 tsp pepper

3 TBSP creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts, chopped

1 bunch cilantro

Saute the onions in oil over medium heat until the onions are translucent. When the onions are ready, add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the curry and cayenne, stirring frequently, for about 1 minute.

Transfer the cooked onions and garlic to a large pot, then add the chopped sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, and peeled tomatoes. Add enough water to the pot so that the vegetables are submerged beneath 1" water. Set heat to high and boil for about 20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and a broth has been created.

Let the broth and vegetables cool then add to the blender or food processor, along with the peanut butter. Process until smooth and serve with cilantro and crushed peanuts.

Vegetarian Collard Greens

I didnt think that it was possible to make collard greens without that ham base, but I stand corrected....

1 TBSP olive oil

1 TBSP vegan butter

½ large onion, chopped

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 lb collard greens, chopped

3 cups vegetable stock

2 tomatoes, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot over medium heat, melt the vegan butter and olive oil together. Add the onion and sautee for about 3 minutes until softened. Add the red pepper flakes and garlic, cooking about 1 more minute. Add the collard greens and cook another minutes. Add the vegetable stock, cover and bring the contents of the pot to a simmer. Cook until the greens are tender, about 45 minutes. Add tomatoes in the last few minutes and season with salt and pepper! Serve!

Ring in the New Year Black Eyed Peas

Get ready for delicious! I made this dish with vegetarian collard greens (this month) and corn bread (Oct 2008)..... And it is now my standard New Year meal!

3 TBSP olive oil

2 summer squash, cut into half moons

1/2 sweet onion, cubed

2 pablano peppers, charred, scraped and cubed

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp salt

1 bag of black eyed peas (12oz, in produce section)

1 cup cooked brown rice

Char the pablano peppers by deseeding and stemming them, and placing them under the broiler to roast until semi-charred on the outside and the flesh is soft to the touch, about 6-7 minutes.

Meanwhile, cover the beans with salted water and boil until soft, about 45 minutes. Drain and set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the oil and add onions, salt, cumin, oregano, and pablano peppers. Saute for about 3 minutes. Stir in squash, cover, and cook until the squash is tender. Stir in peas and continue to cook for a few minutes. Stir in rice and res-eason.