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BREADS:

Biscuits:

Preheat oven to 350F, oil a baking sheet. Mix 2 cups flour, 4 tsp baking powder, then cut in ½ cup margarine (softened) until like coarse crumbs. Make a well, add ¾ cup milk and equivalent of one egg (1 Tbsp whole flax seeds, ground OR 1.5 Tbsp pre-ground flax plus 3 Tbsp water, mixed well until thick) all at once, stir quickly with fork until just moistened. Drop heaping Tablespoons full onto sheet, bake 20-25 minutes until golden.

“Cheesy” Herbed Biscuits:

Preheat oven to 450F and lightly oil a baking sheet. Mix 1 2/3 cups white flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, ¼ cup nutritional yeast, ½ tsp thyme, ½ tsp oregano, ½ tsp powdered rosemary, and ½ tsp salt. Cut in ½ cup margarine until like coarse crumbs, add ¾ cup soy milk and stir until just moistened. Drop heaping Tablespoons full onto sheet, bake 15 minutes until cooked through.

Corn Bread:

Mix 2 cups flour, 1/3 c sugar, 8 tsp baking powder, 1½ tsp salt, 2 cups cornmeal

Add ¾ c water whisked w/ ¼ cup + 1 Tbsp ground flax (it’s ok if thin), 2 cups thin nondairy milk (not a thick pea or oat milk), ½ cup margarine, and some fresh (or thawed frozen) corn kernels, beat until smooth

Bake in greased 9X13 at 425 for 20-25 minutes or more (until center is set and top is golden brown.

Foccacia (from James McNair’s Vegetarian Pizza)

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1½ cups warm water (warm, but not hot)

1 envelope (¼ ounce) active dry yeast

about 3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or semolina)

extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp salt

Add the sugar to the water and mix well, then add the yeast and stir until the mixture is smooth. Let it sit for about five minutes, and if foam does not form on the surface, the water was too hot (and killed the yeast), or too cold (and did not activate it). While proofing the yeast, mix 3 cup of the flour with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture, and stir until the dough is holding together well. Put the dough on a floured surface, and knead, adding flour as you do so. Keep kneading and slowly adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and shiny (5-10 minutes more). Do not over knead, as this will result in a tough crust. Shape the dough into a ball, and put it in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat it on all sides with the oil (which prevents a hard crust forming, which inhibits rising). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent moisture loss. Let rise until tripled in bulk (about 3 hours). Generously grease a 9X13 pan with olive oil, and spread the dough to fit the pan. Let the dough rise for another half hour or so, then brush the dough with olive oil, and bake in a preheated 375F oven. After 10 minutes, take it out, brush it again with the oil, and put it in for another 10 or 20 minutes. When done, brush with olive oil and serve immediately, with red pepper, tomato, red wine vinegar, red onion, and anything else.

Gluten-free flour mix (from Betty Hagman)

2 cups white rice flour

2/3 cups potato starch

1/3 cup tapioca flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

Mix all ingredients and use to replace all-purpose flour. Recipes will probably turn out a bit denser and chewier, but still good.

4-flour bean Gluten-free flour mix

2 cups Garfava flour

1 cup sorghum

3 cups cornstarch

3 cups tapioca flour

Mix all ingredients and use to replace all-purpose flour. Has a funky beany flavor, not recommended for use in pastries.

Pizza Dough

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 cup warm water (warm, but not hot)

1 envelope (¼ ounce) active dry yeast

about 3¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour (or semolina)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp salt

Add the sugar to the water and mix well, then add the yeast and stir until the mixture is smooth. Let it sit for about five minutes, and if foam does not form on the surface, the water was too hot (and killed the yeast), or too cold (and did not activate it). While proofing the yeast, mix 3 cup of the flour with the salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the yeast mixture and oil to the flour and salt, and stir until the dough is holding together well. Put the dough on a floured surface, and knead, adding flour as you do so. If you’re lazy like me, you can just knead in the bowl. Keep kneading and slowly adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Continue kneading until the dough is smooth, elastic, and shiny (maybe 5 minutes more). Do not over knead, as this will result in a tough crust. Shape the dough into a ball, and put it in a well-oiled bowl, turning to coat it on all sides with the oil (which prevents a hard crust forming, which inhibits rising). Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a damp towel to prevent moisture loss. Let rise until doubled in bulk (about 1.5 hours, or 45 minutes if using quick-rise yeast). Put the pizza on a cookie sheet, or a pizza screen, or in a deep dish pan, or on a stone, or whatever. A stone or pizza screen will give you a crispier crust, but they’re also more work and harder to clean. Cooking directions vary according to what you cook it on, but around 400F for 15 minutes or so usually works. Adjust temp and time to individual preferences.

Variations include substituting 1 cup cornmeal for 1 cup of the flour (Chicago-style), or using whole wheat bread flour for half of the flour, and honey instead of sugar for a whole wheat crust. If you like garlic, try crushing a clove of garlic into the olive oil and letting it sit for at least 30 minutes or so before mixing it in. If I’m making a traditional pizza I also like adding spices (basil, oregano, rosemary) and a few Tbsp of minced olives into the crust.

Vegan Yeast Bread (from Aaron Smith)

1 Tbsp sucanat (or any sugar really)

1 cup of warm water (hot to touch, but not scalding)

2 tsp of active dry yeast

1 cup of stone-ground whole wheat flour

2 cups of unbleached white bread flour

1 Tbsp of canola oil or other vegetable oil

1 tsp salt (not optional in any way)

To make 2 loaves double everything except the yeast. Dissolve yeast in water and let stand about 10 min. Add sugar, salt, and oil and beat with a whisk until bubbly (~2 min). Add whole-wheat flour and ½ cup of white flour and mix until smooth. Continue to add another ½ cup of white flour beating by hand with wooden spoon for 1 min. Add more flour at ¼ cup at a time, beating by hand until dough is too stiff to stir, but too sticky to knead. Add more flour in 2 Tbsp amounts, mixing it in by hand (don't be afraid to get messy) until dough pulls cleanly away from sides of bowl. Turn out dough onto a floured surface and knead dough, dusting with flour as needed (I rarely use more flour than the recipe calls for, but it varies from batch to batch) until it is smooth and elastic. With practice you'll start to learn just how the dough should feel for it to turn out right. You should knead for at least 5 minutes, more doesn't hurt. Place dough in a clean greased bowl and cover loosely with a greased plastic wrap or moistened towel. Let rise in a warm place (80-85 degrees F) until doubled in size (about 1 hour, the warmer it is the faster it rises). Uncover, punch down dough to remove air bubbles. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead about 1 min. Cover and let rest for 5 min. Pat dough into a flattened oval, roll up snuggly into a loaf and pinch seams together until smooth. Place loaf, seam side down, in a greased loaf pan, cover and let rise again in a warm place until doubled in size (about 1 hour). Heat oven to 400 degrees F (375 if you're using a glass loaf pan). Make a lengthwise slash down middle of loaf. Bake for 30 minutes or until loaf is golden brown.

BREAKFAST:

Berry Muffins:

Mix 2 c flour, 1 t baking powder, ½ t salt

Mix separately equivalent of 2 eggs, 1 c soy milk, 2/3 c sugar, 6 T oil, 1 t vanilla

Mix together just until moist, add 1½ c frozen berries

Bake at 400F until toothpick inserted in center is clean (12-15 minutes or more)

Buckwheat Pancakes (from the Better Homes and Gardens “New” Cook Book)

3 cups buckwheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 package active dry yeast (not quick-rise)

1 tsp white sugar

2 Tbsp brown sugar

¾ tsp baking soda

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

Combine flours and salt. Soften yeast in ¼ cup warm water (110^oF). Dissolve granulated sugar into 3 ¾ cups lukewarm water, add yeast and stir into dry ingredients. Mix well, cover, and let stand overnight at room temperature. The bowl must not be over ½ full. The next morning, stir the batter, and add brown sugar, baking soda, and oil. Stir some more, and cook on a hot, lightly greased griddle or skillet.

Cinnamon Applesauce Muffins (from a bag of wheat germ)

1 cup wheat germ

1½ cups whole wheat pastry flour

2 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

¾ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 Tbsp ground flaxseed, mixed well with 3 Tbsp water

½ cup date sugar

1/3 cup oil

1 cup apple sauce

½ cup soymilk (or other nondairy milk)

Preheat oven to 425^oF. Combine dry ingredients; in a separate bowl combine wet ingredients, then mix dry into wet and combine well without overmixing. Bake in a muffin tin for 15-17 minutes.

Cinnamon Buns (from Vegan Brunch, modifications by Sarah)

Dough:

1 packet active dry yeast (2¼ tsp)

1/3 cup plus 1 tsp sugar

½ cup lukewarm water

¾ cup soy milk (room temperature)

1/3 cup canola oil

¾ tsp salt

1 tsp cinnamon

3½ - 4 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp brown sugar

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp white sugar

1.5 Tbsp cinnamon

3 Tbsp flour

To Roll:

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp nonhydrogenated margarine, crumbled into small pieces

1 cup chopped pecans (kept separate)

Icing:

1 cup powdered sugar

1½ - 2 Tbsp almond milk (or soy or rice milk)

1 tsp vanilla extract

In a large mixing bowl, dissolve the yeast and 1 tsp sugar in the water, and let sit for a few minutes until the yeast starts bubbling. Add the rest of the sugar, soy milk, oil, salt, cinnamon, and 2 cups of flour. Stir for about a minute, and then add more flour ½ cup at a time until you’ve added about 3½ cups total. Knead to form a soft dough, if it’s sticky add more flour while kneading until it’s no longer sticky.

Lightly flour a clean, flat surface and knead dough for about 5 minutes until nice and smooth. Place in a lightly greased bowl, turn to coat with oil, and cover with a moist towel or plastic wrap. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about an hour).

Once dough has risen, punch it down and let it rest for about 10 minutes while you prepare the filling by mixing the sugars, cinnamon, and flour together.

Lightly flour a work surface again, and stretch and roll the dough out into a rectangle about 12 by 18 inches. Sprinkle the filling evenly over the surface of the dough, evenly sprinkle the chopped pecans, and dot with the small pieces of margarine (use a little more if you need to in order to get even coverage). Firmly roll up the dough from the long side. Go slowly to get the roll as tight as possible. Use a little water at the end to pinch the seam together to get it to seal.

Lightly spray an 11 by 13 inch rimmed baking pan, and slice the dough roll into 12 even pieces (cut into quarters, then cut each quarter into thirds). Place the rolls in the pan cut side down, it should be a snug fit.

At this point, you can either just cover them with a towel and let rise for 30-45 minutes until they’re almost doubled in size, OR cover with plastic wrap and put them in the refrigerator overnight. If putting them in the fridge, in the morning remove the plastic wrap and let them come to room temperature (about 30 minutes). Either way, make sure they’re doubled in size.

Preheat the oven to 375F, and bake for 18-22 minutes until they’re lightly browned and puffy. Remove from the oven and prepare the icing by mixing the sugar, almond milk, and vanilla in a small bowl with a fork. Start with 1½ Tbsp of almond milk, adding another ½ Tbsp only if necessary. Drizzle the icing over the warm rolls and serve.

French Toast (from The Millennium Cookbook)

Flaxseed-Apple Batter:

1 Tbsp flaxseeds

½ cup applesauce

2 cups soy milk

½ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp sea salt

8 slices thick whole-grain bread, stale or air-dried overnight

margarine

To make the batter, combine all of the ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth. Place in a large shallow bowl. Dip the bread 2 slices at a time to coat evenly. Cook the bread in some margarine in a large skillet over medium heat until lightly brown. I find that to get bread that isn’t soggy - but is brown on the outside - it works best to cook on medium heat for a bit, then reduce to medium-low to let the bread dry out. Repeat with the remaining bread, and serve with warm apple compote (see recipe below). If you can’t wait for the compote, it’s also really good with margarine and powdered sugar or maple syrup. The result can pass for “real” French toast made with eggs.

Omelet (modified from FatFree Vegan Kitchen) – serves 2

Omelet:

12 ounces (1 package) Mori-nu lite silken tofu

2 Tbsp soymilk

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 tsp tahini

¼ tsp onion powder

¼ tsp turmeric

¼ tsp salt, or to taste

¼ tsp ground chipotle pepper (optional)

Filling:

1 red pepper, diced

10 mushrooms, diced

1 tomato, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

Blend together all ingredients listed under omelet until smooth. Cook the red pepper, mushroom, and garlic with a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until soft. When cooked, set aside and mix with (uncooked) tomatoes. Add a bit more olive oil to the hot skillet, and add ½ the batter (or less if it won’t all fit) into the center of the skillet, and swish around in a circular pattern about 6-8 inches across. Use a spoon or spatula to smooth over the top if it’s uneven. Place your filling ingredients over the batter, and reduce the heat to low.

Cook for about 5 minutes, checking often to see if it's done. When the edges have dried out, lift a small section with a spatula and check to see that the omelet is set. It should be slightly browned. Fold one side over the other, and if not done yet, cook for a few minutes, then flip over to cook the other side. Carefully lift or slide it onto a plate and serve hot.

Oat-Walnut Pancakes (from the Millennium Cookbook) – serves 4

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup corn flour or finely ground cornmeal

1/3 cup toasted walnuts, crushed

¼ cup rolled oats

2 tsp sugar

¼ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

2¼ cups soy milk (use more if it’s a thick pea milk)

1 tsp white or rice vinegar

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together. Add the vinegar to the soy milk, mix well, and add to the dry ingredients. Whisk until well mixed, and cook ½ cup of batter at a time on a griddle or saucepan.

Pancakes (from Sarah) – serves 2

1½ cup white flour (or replace ½ of the flour with whole wheat pastry flour or almond flour)

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

1 1/3 cup thin nondairy milk (not thick and creamy like pea or oat)

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp sugar

Additional oil or vegan butter for cooking

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in one bowl. In separate bowl, combine milk, oil, and sugar. Add milk mixture to flour mixture and mix just until moistened, a few lumps are okay. Heat the nonstick skillet over med w/ a little oil or butter and cook.

Potato Latkes (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

2 large russet potatoes

½ cup unbleached white flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ to ½ tsp salt

black pepper

1 cup minced onion

½ cup grated carrot

½ cup thinly sliced green onions

2 Tbsp soy milk

canola oil for frying

Grate one potato, and finely chop the other (or grate them all). Put the potatoes in a strainer over a bowl and let the drain for ten minutes, then squeeze them to get the remaining liquid out. Let the liquid sit for a few minutes to let the starch settle to the bottom, then pour the liquid out and mix the starch into the potatoes. Add the other ingredients, heat some canola oil in a pan over medium-high heat, and fry a flattened patty of the potato mixture. Fry until the edges are golden, then flip and fry some more. Put them on paper towels to drain.

Scrambled Tofu (from Soul Vegetarian cookbook)

1 16oz block tofu

2 Tbsp. Onions, chopped fine

½ tsp black salt or tamari sauce to taste

2 Tbsp vegetable oil or margarine

2 Tbsp red bell peppers

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (to start with, add to taste)

½ tsp turmeric

1 Tbsp garlic powder (or much more)

lots of crumbled basil

Melt margarine, sautè onions and peppers until soft, add tofu, mash with fork, and add remaining ingredients until water from tofu is cooked out. Very good, but tends to be greasy/salty.

Sweet Potato Pancakes

2 Tbsp canola oil

½ cup sweet potato puree

1 “flax egg” (1.5 Tbsp ground flax mixed with 3 Tbsp water until thick)

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 cup oat milk

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour (or use 50% almond flour)

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

½ cup chopped pecans

Whisk together dry ingredients and set aside. Mix together wet ingredients, then fold in dry until just combined. Cook in nonstick skillet greased with margarine.

Waffles (from Jon)

¾ c whole wheat pastry flour

¾ c white flour

1 Tbsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1½ cups soymilk

2 flax "eggs" (2 Tbsp whole flaxseed, ground & 6 Tbsp water, whisked until thick)

3 Tbsp canola oil

Use about 1/3 cup scoops, makes 8 waffles. Note that the flax measurement is for 2 Tbsp of whole flaxseed. If using pre-ground flaxseed, you need 3 Tbsp.

Warm Apple Compote (from The Millennium Cookbook)

Warm Apple Compote:

3 apples, peeled, cored, and chopped into ½ inch cubes

1 cup good strong fresh apple cider

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp minced orange zest

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp minced fresh ginger

¼ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp sea salt

Start the compote before you start cooking the toast (it takes a while). Combine all of the compote ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until the liquid reduces to a light syrup (15-20 minutes).

SAUCES/SPREADS:

Bar-B-Que Sauce (from Soul Vegetarian)

¼ stick margarine

3 Tbsp molasses

1½ tsp apple cider vinegar

1 cup water

1 bay leaf

12 oz. can tomato paste

¼ cup honey

2 Tbsp garlic powder

salt to taste

(optional: 1/8 cup tamari)

Place all ingredients in sauce pan, and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.

Chimichurri Sauce

1 cup fresh parsley

¾ cup fresh cilantro

¼ cup fresh oregano

¼ cup red wine vinegar

½ a jalapeno (leave out seeds at first, and add a few at a time)

¼ cup vegetable broth

¼ cup hemp seeds

½ tsp salt, (add more, to taste, if it needs it)

½ tsp black pepper

6 cloves garlic (I know, I know, it seems like a boatload of garlic. But it’s soooo good!)

Throw all of this in a high quality blender that can really tackle chopping stuff up tiny. If you don’t have a really good blender, try a food processor (but you will want to use a smaller sized one – if you use a large food processor and don’t fill it up enough, the blades can’t access all of the food and so sometimes things don’t really get chopped up).

Coconut Chutney (adapted from Richa Hindle)

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 serrano pepper, seeded

1/3 cup cilantro

¼ cup minced ginger

Scant ½ tsp salt

½ tsp sugar

½ tsp black mustard seeds

¼ tsp garlic power

¼ tsp cayenne powder

½ tsp lemon juice

1 cup hot water

Blend all ingredients in a blender. Serve with masala dosa or Indian polenta cakes.

Collard Green Pesto

1 ¾ lb collard greens

7 large brine-cured green olives (2 ¼ ounces), pitted

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1/3 cup water

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Scant ½ tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne or ½ tsp red pepper flakes or 1 seeded fresh hot pepper

¼ tsp black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Sauté the collards in a bit of olive oil, place all ingredients in a food processor with enough water to blend, and blend well. Serve on pizza with vegetarian Italian sausage, red pepper, and fresh tomatoes.

Cranberry Sauce / Relish:

1 Tbsp orange zest

2 Tbsp minced ginger

½ cup fresh squeezed orange Juice (from ~1 orange)

zest and juice from 1 lemon

1 12 oz package fresh cranberries, picked over

½ cup + 2 Tbsp sugar (or more to taste as needed)

Put the cranberries, sugar, ginger, juice, and zest in a saucepan and heat on medium-high, stirring until dissolved. Lower the heat slightly and simmer until most of the cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat, let cool, cover, and refrigerate.

Eggplant Spicy Roasted Spread

2 eggplant

4 cloves garlic

juice of 1 lime

2 tablespoon tahini

1/2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

1/2-1 teaspoon cumin

1/2-1 teaspoon chipotle pepper powder (to taste)

1 large tomato

Toppings:

pickled jalapenos/carrots/onions

Lettuce (romaine preferably)

More tomato? Carrot? Red onion?

Preheat oven to 400F. Prick eggplant several times with fork. Place it on a baking sheet and roast until it is completely tender and sunken in on top, from 30 to 45 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool enough to peel. Cut off the top and remove the peel.

With the food processor running, drop in the garlic and process until minced. Add the eggplant and all remaining ingredients except the tomato. Puree until fairly smooth. Add the tomatoes and pulse to chop coarsely. Serve in pita bread with lettuce, tomatoes, jalapeño peppers, red onions, or your own choice of vegetables. Easy recipe!

Guacamole - from Raia Fink

½ white onion
1 head garlic
large bunch cilantro
2/3 of a soft tomato
3 small, ripe avocados
dash of salt
lime juice (2 Tbsp or so)

Mix ingredients in food processor. Eat. Amaze your friends with your skillz.

Hummus – from Jon

3 cloves garlic

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

½ cup water

juice from one lemon

½ tsp sumac

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

3 Tbsp tahini

2 cans chickpeas (or one 28 oz. can)

Blend all ingredients except chickpeas, then slowly add chickpeas and keep blending until smooth. Let it sit in the fridge overnight and the texture will improve. Please treat this recipe as a very rough guideline, strength of different kinds of tahini varies, as do the amount of juice per lemon, and individual tastes. This is just a starting point. Sumac is key, though. Eat in pita bread with tomato, cucumber, shredded carrots, mixed greens, and sprouts.

Miso-Sesame Paste

½ cup roasted sesame seeds, ground into a paste

½ cup miso (yellow or white)

¼ cup umeboshi plum wine (Hakutsuru)

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Mix the miso with the plum wine and vinegar, then stir in the sesame paste. This recipe can be used as a dip for spinach, or a topping for broccoli and brown rice.

Peanut Sauce

2 cups natural unsalted peanut butter

½ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup soy

2 Tbsp minced garlic

cayenne powder to taste

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

¼ cup sesame oil

1 cup black tea

Mix all ingredients, good with soba noodles or on fried tempeh or seitan. Easy recipe!

Puttanesca Sauce (from The Millennium Cookbook)

4 pepperoncini (pickled Italian peppers), finely diced

At least 4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp capers, drained

2 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

½ cup dry red wine

28 oz. canned diced tomatoes

salt and/or sugar to taste, if needed

In a large saucepan, combine the garlic, pepperoncini, capers, oregano, basil, and wine. Bring to a boil and cook to reduce liquid by half. Add the tomatoes. Reduce heat and simmer until thick, about 30 minutes. Add salt or sugar if needed. Serve over pasta, polenta, bread, pizza, etc.

Romesco Spread (from Isa Does It)

¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted

2 cloves garlic

2 roasted red peppers

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp paprika

¼ tsp salt

Combine all in a blender, adding water if needed to blend.

Scorpion Paste (from Gudrun Danielson)

1 7 oz. jar, or 2/3 cup roasted red peppers

½ tsp cumin, whole or ground

½ tsp salt

6-8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

2 Tbsp olive or vegetable oil

6 (or more, if you're cocky) ground red chilies, cayenne, or chile caribe flakes, or the equivalent in whole chiles (pequin, tepin, Japanese) that have been softened in hot water.

Combine all in a blender, making sure to scrape down the sides with a spatula once or twice, until it becomes a uniform emulsion. If using whole chilies, you'll have to blend a bit more, so that the seeds are pulverized, adding their heat to your concoction. The finished product should be as thick as mayonnaise. Pack the paste into a small jar, cover with a thin film of vegetable oil, and refrigerate indefinitely. If you want to add some quick heat to stews, burritos, or curries, or kill a cold by spreading it on toast and eating it, well, this is the recipe for you! It keeps marvelously well, and increases its potency as long as it has a thin coat of oil on top, and is refrigerated.

Spinach White Bean Dip (from Giada De Laurentiis)

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

12 oz bag baby spinach

1can white beans (cannellini or others)

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ tsp fresh-ground black pepper

½ tsp salt

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the garlic and cook for a minute or so, then add spinach and cook until wilted. Add the cooked spinach mixture along with the beans, lemon juice, vinegar, pepper, and salt, and blend until smooth.

Tapenade (from Garlic Garlic Garlic)

2 packed cups pitted Niçoise or Kalamata olives

12 oil-packed or water-softened sun-dried tomatoes, drained

5 plump garlic cloves

2 tsp fresh oregano leaves, plus flowers if available (or ~1/2 tsp dried oregano)

1 tsp fresh-ground black pepper

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus up to 2 Tbsp more if needed

Blend everything except the oil in a food processor, pulsing until pureed. Taste and add more tomato if desired. Gradually add the olive oil with the motor running, scrape and process again. Add more oil if needed to make a thick, spreadable paste. If it has a bitter taste you can add some sugar.

White Bean "Cheese"

1 cup cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

6 ounces firm silken tofu

¼ cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp cashews, ground (I use lightly salted and roasted) – or use 1 Tbsp for a low-fat version

1-2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

2 Tbsp miso (light or dark, your preference)

½ tsp turmeric (for a golden color)

optional: up to 2 Tbsp unsweetened soy milk if spread is too thick

Place all ingredients except soy milk in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until the desired consistency is achieved. Add soy milk if needed to achieve desired consistency. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container. This spread is delicious on sandwiches, toasts, crackers or in quesadillas (see sides/salads section).
SIDES & SALADS:

Baked BBQ Black-Eyed Peas (from Vegan Soul Kitchen, modifications from Jon)

3 cups dried black-eyed peas, soaked overnight, drained, and rinsed (or 4 cups fresh)

2 3-inch pieces kombu

¼ cup olive oil

1 cup diced onions

2 cups diced red pepper

5 cloves garlic, minced

¼ cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup lime juice

½ cup tamari

2 cups canned tomato sauce

4 large chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

¼ cup agave nectar

2 Tbsp molasses

2 Tbsp ground cumin

2 tsp dried thyme

8 oz tempeh, chopped finely

Combine the peas and kombu in enough water to cover in a saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Skim off any foam, reduce to a simmer and cook until the peas are tender, about 45 minutes to an hour (more like 20-35 minutes for fresh peas). Drain the peas.

While the peas are cooking, combine ~ 1 Tbsp of the oil with the onions and pepper in a skillet over medium-high heat (use a cast-iron skillet if you have one so that you can use it to bake the beans as well). Cook until the vegetables are softened (5-7 minutes), add garlic, and cook 2 minutes more. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

In a blender, combine vinegar, lime juice, tamari, tomato sauce, chiles, agave nectar, molasses, cumin, thyme, and the remaining olive oil. Pureé until smooth.

In a cast-iron skillet or 2-quart baking dish, combine the cooked beans with the vegetables, tempeh, and barbecue sauce, and stir well. Use about ½ cup water to rinse out the blender and add that to the pan too. Bake uncovered for an hour (or until tender and delicious), stirring occasionally.

BBQ slaw salad (from Jon)

2 packages BBQ seitan (Blackbird brand, or make your own)

2 packages shredded cole slaw mix (cabbage, carrot, broccoli, whatever you like

Dressing:

1 cup raw cashews

¾ cup water

¼ cup lemon juice

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves raw garlic

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp onion powder

1 Tbsp miso paste

1 Tbsp Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp barbecue sauce

2 Tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce

Blend dressing in a Vitamix or other strong blender, and mix dressing, slaw, and seitan to taste.

Banh Mi Salad (from Sarah)

1.5-2 heads red leaf lettuce (depending on size), washed and roughly chopped

1/2 cup chopped mint loosely packed

1 cup cilantro, chopped, loosely packed

1/2 medium red onion, sliced thinly, then chopped roughly

1 daikon or similar volume of red radishes

2 carrots

1 package seitan (or equivalent in homemade seitan)

5 limes, juiced

6 Tbsp Sugar

Soy Sauce (2-3 Tablespoons)

Rice Vinegar (2-3 Tablespoons)

Dressing:

1 cup cashews

3 Tbsp Sriracha chili sauce

¾ bunch cilantro

½ cup mint

¼ cup red onion

some water (enough to blend)

Peel and thinly slice your carrots and daikon (set aside separately in a bowl). Juice your 5 limes and place the juice into a bowl with the daikon and carrots, along with up to 3 Tbsp of sugar (stir well), a few Tablespoons of soy sauce (to taste), and a few Tablespoons of rice vinegar (to taste). Let them soak for 15 minutes in this marinade, stirring occasionally. While it’s marinating you can chop your onion, cilantro, mint and lettuce.

Drain the seitan, then throw into a frying pan. Strain the fluid from the carrots & daikon into the seitan pan, leaving the carrots and daikon still in the bowl - set them aside. Turn the seitan pan on to medium high heat, and let 1/2 the fluid evaporate while stirring very occasionally. Then taste the fluid, and add about 3 Tbsp sugar, or until it tastes sweet enough to you. I don't like things too sweet myself, I like the tang. Stir to incorporate the sugar, and cook until the pan is almost dry, then take off the heat to let cool.

Take the dressing ingredients and place into a food processor or blender, add the Sriracha and some water so it will blend, then add more water till it gets to be the consistency of a ranch dressing.

Toss the lettuce, mint, cilantro, and onion together, then top with the pickled daikon/carrots, and then with the seitan. Put about 3-5 tablespoons of cashew/sriracha dressing on top. This is Jon’s favorite salad ever.

Buffalo Wings

Vegetarian chicken broth powder:

1/3 cup nutritional yeast flakes

2 ¼ tsp onion powder

½ Tbsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

¾ tsp soymilk powder

¾ tsp sugar

¼ tsp dried thyme

¼ tsp crumbled dried sage

¼ tsp paprika

1/8 tsp tumeric

Wings:

12 skewers

1 ¼ cup vital wheat gluten

1/3 cup vegetarian chicken broth powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp paprika

freshly ground white pepper

2 tbsp oil

1 to 1 ¼ cup water

Breading:

1 cup plain soy milk

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbsp ground flax seed

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp paprika

½ tsp salt

1 1/3 cup panko bread crumbs

Sauce:

½ cup margarine

½ cup hot sauce

Blend the ingredients for vegetarian chicken broth powder in a dry blender. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a dark baking sheet with aluminum foil. Spray with oil.

For wings, mix gluten, broth powder, and spices together. Add oil and enough water to make the dough. The dough should be somewhat stiff, but able to be kneaded. Knead for a few minutes then shape into a log and slice into 12 to 16 pieces. Stick a skewer into each piece of dough and shape around the stick. Wet your hands if you need to.

For breading, whisk together soy milk, oil, lemon juice, and flax seed in a shallow dish. In a separate shallow dish, mix together spices and bread crumbs.

Roll the skewered seitan in the soy milk mixture, then in the bread crumbs. When all seitan has been coated, roll again in soy milk and press into the bread crumbs again to get a thick coating. Place on prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 20 - 25 minites, until crumbs are golden and seitan has plumped up. While the seitan is cooking, melt margarine in a small saucepan and add hot sauce. Remove cooked seitan from oven and spoon sauce over each wing. Return to oven and cook for 5 minutes more.

Coconut Rice w/ toasted coconut

2 cups jasmine rice

1 13.5oz can coconut milk

1 cup water

¼ tsp salt

1 cinnamon stick

1 tsp lime zest

½ cup unsweetened coconut

Combine all ingredients except lime zest and cook in a saucepan (boil, then 20 minutes simmering) or rice cooker. Remove from heat, add lime zest, stir, and let sit for 10 minutes. Toast the coconut in a skillet over medium heat until light brown, ~3 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and serve, sprinkling toasted coconut over each serving. Great with jerk seitan.

Coconut Tofu with Sweet Chile Dipping Sauce (from the Café Flora Cookbook)

Marinade:

2 med onion, chopped

2 tsp black peppercorns

8 inches of ginger, unpeeled and coarsely chopped

½ cup arame (seaweed)

½ cup tamari

½ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup red miso paste

8 cups water

2 # firm tofu, pressed (or use unpressed extra firm tofu, but it won’t be as good)

3 cups finely ground unsweetened dried coconut

1 cup all-purpose wheat flour (or whole wheat pastry flour)

1 cup coconut milk

3-4 cups vegetable oil for frying

1 head lettuce leaves, torn in half

1 bunch cilantro

1 bunch Thai basil

Sweet chile sauce

In a saucepan, combine the marinade ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool in the pan. Strain the marinade into a container with a lid (if you don’t strain it, the flavor will be stronger, but it’s more of a pain to wipe the chunks off of the tofu when they’re done marinating). Cut each block of tofu into 12-16 cubes, and put them in the marinade, ensuring that they are completely covered by the marinade. Refrigerate at marinate for at least 8 hours, and preferably overnight. When they’re done marinating, take out each cube of tofu, let excess liquid drain off of it, and then roll it in the flour until it’s coated. Then dip it in the coconut milk, then roll in the shredded coconut, pressing it onto the tofu to coat it completely. Repeat this process for each block of tofu.

Put the oil in a deep skillet or saucepan, deep enough to cover the tofu blocks. Heat the oil over medium-high, and once it’s hot drop some tofu in 2-3 cubes at a time, turning as needed until they’re golden brown. If it takes more than around 30 seconds to cook, the oil is too cold, if it cooks really fast (10-15 seconds) it’s too hot. Adjust it to your preference. Once each set of cubes is golden brown, remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Serve the tofu blocks on a platter with lettuce leaves, sprigs of basil and cilantro, and a small bowl of sweet chile dipping sauce. To eat, put a tofu block on a lettuce leaf, add cilantro and basil, roll it up, and dip in the sauce. Amazing! This is a real crowd-pleaser, especially at parties.

Greek Salad

1 pack Viana veggie gyros (if you can’t find these, cook normal seitan with oregano, cumin, thyme, black pepper, sumac, rosemary, lemon juice, and garlic powder)

½ red onion, sliced

1 cucumber, sliced
2 tomatoes, diced

1 head lettuce or equivalent quantity baby mixed greens

Pita chips for topping

½ red onion, sliced

1 bunch parsley, chopped

Dressing: (to adapt this for taco salad, use lime instead of lemon, omit black pepper, and add 2 Tbsp chipotle chilies w/ adobo sauce)

1 cup cashews (note: if not using a vitamix, soak the cashews in water for a few hours)

½ cup water

2 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp oregano

1 clove garlic

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

1 tsp onion powder

Cook the onion in a skillet on med-high heat with a bit of olive oil until soft. Add gyro meat (or seitan and spices if you couldn’t find the veggie gyros), and cook another 5 minutes or so until fragrant. Set aside.

Chop cucumbers and tomatoes, and wash / dry greens or lettuce. Blend dressing ingredients in a blender. Assemble the veggies and gyro meat on greens or lettuce, top with pita chips. Alternatively, skip the lettuce and just eat gyros, tomato, cucumber, and dressing in pita bread as sandwiches.

Parsnip Beet Salad in Pineapple Vinaigrette (from Veganomicon)

Salad:

1 pound beets, shredded

1 pound parsnips, shredded

½ cup coarsely chopped fresh mint

Pineapple Dressing:

2 cups pineapple juice

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

¼ cup olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

¼ tsp salt

Whisk together all of the dressing ingredients in a big bowl. Add the shredded beets and parsnips (using a food processor is the best way to get them shredded), and mix well. Let sit for 15 minutes, then add the mint and remix. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. When you’ve eaten the salad the leftover dressing is a good marinade for baked tofu. Easy recipe!

Potstickers (from Eric Chow)

5 cups flour

2 packages “Gimme Lean”

stuff for flavoring the filling (spinach, ginger, soy sauce, rice vinegar, etc.)

Add 1 cup hot water to the flour and mix. Add 1 cup cold water, mix, and knead. Let sit for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the filling according to your tastes, microwaving a bit of it to see how it'll turn out. Roll out a long snake with about ¼ to ½ of the dough, maybe an inch in diameter - then slice the snake into small equal sized pieces. Roll each of these pieces into circles, fill them, fold them in half and cinch the tops - make them so they stand up. Then place into a Teflon frying pan, put some oil in, and about a cup of water. Heat the pan covered on high until it starts boiling, then turn the heat down to low and keep it covered. The dumplings will get simultaneously steamed and fried! You'll know they're done when all the liquid is gone and the bottom is crispy golden brown - then flip the whole over onto a plate for dramatic effect.

Quesadillas (makes 6)

3 Tbsp vegan margarine, or just cook without oil in a nonstick pan

7-8 inch whole wheat tortillas

1 ½ cup of white bean "cheese" (see sauces/spread section), or commercial vegan cheese

~ 3 cups fresh baby spinach leaves

~ ¾ cup caramelized onion (cut a large yellow onion into thin slices, and saute in a tablespoon or two of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until golden-brown)

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 1 Tbsp of the vegan margarine (if using a nonstick skillet, you can skip this if you like for a low-fat version). Meanwhile, spread 2 tortillas with "cheese," leaving a 1/4-inch border. Top one half of each quesadilla with ½ cup spinach, followed by 2 Tbsp of caramelized onion. Fold other half of tortillas over the spinach and onion and press down gently. Place quesadillas in the skillet and fry on one side for a couple of minutes or until golden-brown and crispy, pressing down gently with a spatula to seal. Carefully flip them and fry for another couple of minutes. Remove quesadillas to serving plates, cut each in half and overlap slices if desired. Add another Tbsp of margarine to the skillet, melt, and repeat for each of the next two batches of 2 quesadillas. Easy recipe!

Rainbow Ribbon Salad w/ Chipotle-Lime Date Dressing

Salad:

1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

1 cucumber, seeded, cut into thin strips

1 carrot, peeled, cut into thin strips

1 green apple, peeled and cored, cut into thin strips

1 cup shredded peeled beets

1 head lettuce (or equivalent in baby greens)

Chipotle-Lime Date Dressing:

1 chipotle chili, cracked open, stem and seeds removed

4 fresh dates, pits removed, quartered

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp fresh lime juice

¼ cup freshly squeezed juice from tangerine, tangelo or orange

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 Tbsp sherry vinegar or good-quality balsalmic vinegar

2 Tbsp sweetener of choice (cane sugar, agave nectar, maple syrup, etc.) – optional

½ tsp salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

To make the dressing, put the chipotle in a microwaveable mug with 1 cup of water. Microwave till the chipotle is soft (~3 minutes). Remove from water and add to a blender or mini food processor with dates, lime juice, citrus juice, olive oil, vinegar, sweetener (if using), salt, and generous grinding of black pepper. Puree until very smooth, scraping down the sides 2 or 3 times with a rubber spatula.

In large bowl, toss peppers, cucumber, carrot and apple with dressing. Portion out servings of the veggie/dressing mixture and then top with shredded beet. Serve over lettuce or greens.

Red cabbage slaw

½ small head red cabbage, shredded

2 carrots, shredded

½ tsp salt (divided into ¼ tsp and ¼ tsp)

1 ½ tsp sugar

3 Tbsp sherry vinegar

3 Tbsp canola oil

1 ½ tsp Dijon or pepper mustard

1 tsp honey

Wash and shred the vegetables. Add ¼ tsp salt and the sugar, and mix for about 30 seconds. In a sealable container add all other ingredients (including remaining ¼ tsp salt) and shake well. Add to the shredded vegetables and mix. Serve with BBQ seitan.

Taco salad

Use modified dressing from Greek salad recipe, and put over lettuce, chopped red pepper, sliced red onion, black beans, grape tomatoes, cilantro, and top with tortilla chips.

Wilted Greens with Miso-Tamarind sauce and Caramelized Pears

1 head greens (mustard, kale, turnip, raddicchio, endive, chard, whatever you like)

1 firm but not hard Bosc pear

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp red miso or barley miso

1 tsp tamarind paste

1 tsp tomato paste

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

½ cup veggie stock or water

Rinse the greens and chop coarsely. If using tough greens like kale or collards, pre-sauté until wilted. Otherwise if using tender greens like chard or spinach, leave as-is.

Quarter the pear and cut out the stem and core. Cut each quarter into 2 or 3 thin slices

In a skillet, heat some oil over med-high heat, add pear slices and sauté until brown on both sides, about 7-9 minutes. Drain on paper towels.

In a medium bowl, combine maple syrup, miso, tamarind, tomato paste, garlic, ginger and veggie stock or water. Whisk until smooth. Pour into the skillet and bring to a boil over med-low heat. Cook, stirring until the dressing begins to thicken, about 1 or 2 minutes. Immediately pour the hot dressing over the greens and toss until they are well coated and wilt slightly. Top with the pear slices, and serve immediately. Easy recipe!

SOUPS:

African Groundnut Soup (from The Artful Vegan)

2 tsp olive oil

2 red onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp minced ginger

½ tsp ground clove

½ tsp ground cardamom

½ tsp ground allspice

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp paprika

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

1 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

½ tsp minced orange zest

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice (4 cups)

½ red cabbage, chopped

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

6 cups vegetable stock

½ cup creamy peanut butter

¼ cup light miso

1 bunch beet greens or red chard, chopped

Salt and black pepper

Heat olive oil in soup pot over medium heat, add onions and garlic and sauté for about 10 minutes, until onions are lightly caramelized. Add the ginger and spices and sauté for another minute or so. Add the orange juice and zest, and stir the bottom of the pot well. Add sweet potatoes, cabbage, tomatoes, and stock, and simmer roughly 40 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft. Turn off heat. Add peanut butter and miso and puree the soup in a blender or with an immersion blender until smooth. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Add beet greens (with stems), the soup will cook them enough without more heat. Serve with toasted bread or teff croutons.

Black Bean and Avocado Soup (from the Bold Vegetarian Chef)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 medium red onion

4 garlic cloves

1 ½ Tbsp whole cumin seeds, crushed

1 dried chipotle chile, soaked in hot water and minced

2 Tbsp unrefined cane sugar

1 ½ tsp salt

1 cup chopped cilantro

6 medium tomatoes, chopped

4 cups black beans

4 cups vegetable stock

2 ripe & firm avocados, cubed

Juice from 1 fresh lime

Start soaking the chipotle chile in hot water (for 10 minutes), then mince it and save the soaking water. Heat the oil in a large soup pot (medium-high heat) and sauté onion until soft. Add the garlic, cumin, chipotle, cinnamon sticks, sugar, salt, and ½ cup of the cilantro. Cook 2-3 minutes until the spices are fragrant. Add tomatoes and beans and cook 2-3 minutes more. Add the stock and chipotle soaking water, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15-20 minutes. Use an immersion blender to thicken the soup up, or remove about 2 cups of the soup, blend, and return. Just before serving, add the avocado, lime juice, and remaining cilantro. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Butternut Squash and Ginger Soup (from A Taste of Heaven and Earth)

3 Tbsp olive oil

4 chopped garlic cloves

1½ cups chopped yellow onion

½ tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

4 cups peeled and thinly sliced butternut squash (a 2# squash)

3 cups water

about a 5-inch piece of ginger

1 Tbsp soy sauce

salt and pepper to taste

fresh cilantro for garnish

Heat the oil in a large soup pot, add the onions and garlic, and cook over high heat for 3-4 minutes, until the onions become translucent. Add the coriander, cinnamon, and squash, and cook for 5 more minutes over high heat. Add the water, cover with a lid, reduce the heat, and simmer until the squash is very soft (about 30 minutes). While the soup is cooking, peel the fresh ginger, finely grate it, and squeeze it into a small cup until you have ¼ cup of juice. In a blender, blend the soup, ginger juice, and soy sauce until completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper, add cilantro, and serve with toasted French bread. Makes enough soup for two hungry people.

Caribbean Sweet Potato Coconut Soup

2 cups chopped onions

2/3 cup chopped celery

1 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp grated or minced fresh ginger

1 tsp curry powder

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

2 bay leaves

Salt to taste

3 cups vegetable stock (or water)

4 cups peeled and cubed sweet potatoes

1 tsp freshly grated lemon and/or orange peel

¼ cup flavorful dark rum (I use Barbancourt)

1 cup orange or pineapple juice

1 14 oz can coconut milk (or light coconut milk)

2 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice

Optional for garnish: chopped cilantro

Optional for garnish: toasted unsweetened coconut flakes

In a soup pot, sauté onions and celery in the oil until onions are translucent, about 5-10 minutes. Add spieces and salt, and cook a bit more while stirring, then add stock (or water), sweet potatoies, citrus peel, and rum. Cover and boil. Reduce heat and simmer until vegetables are tender (~15-20 min). Remove and discard bay leaves, and add juices (orange/pineapple and citrus) and coconut milk to pot. Puree soup in blender and serve.

Carrot soup (from A Taste of Heaven and Earth)

2 Tbsp olive oil (¼ cup)

4½ cup chopped yellow onion (7½ cup)

10 lg garlic cloves, chopped (16)

2 Tbsp dried basil or ½ cup chopped fresh (¼ cup dry, 1cup fresh)

3# carrots, sliced (5#)

water to cover, about 2 cups (3 cups)

lemon juice to taste, about 1/3 cup (½ cup)

¼ cup tamari (6 Tbsp)

freshly ground pepper

1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro

2.5 Anaheim chili peppers, minced (4)

finely chopped parsley or cilantro for garnish

The amounts in parentheses are for if you’re making a huge batch, the normal amounts are still for a good-size pot. Heat the oil in a soup pot, add onion and garlic and cook over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the basil, carrots, and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes more. Add water (enough to barely cover the veggies), reduce the heat, and simmer until the carrots are soft (about 30 minutes). In a blender or food processor, blend the carrots and cooking liquid until smooth. Add the lemon juice, ground pepper, and tamari to taste. If you don't have really tasty soy sauce, use salt, but as strange as it sounds, the tamari is really good if you have decent quality sauce. Stir in cayenne powder to taste if the soup needs it. Stir in the fresh cilantro, garnish it if you like, and serve (I recommend lightly toasted French bread with this).

Cream of the Harvest Soup (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

¼ cup olive oil

2 yellow onions, sliced

salt

a 2.25à2.5 # butternut squash, peeled/seeded/cubed (about 6 cups)

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled/cubed (about 3 cups)

1 medium parsnip, peeled and sliced

6 cups vegetable stock

1 bay leaf

2 dried ancho chilies

2 dried pasilla chilies

6 garlic cloves, peeled

1-inch cube of peeled ginger

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (or to taste)

Warm 1 Tbsp of the oil in a large pot, and add the onions plus a dash of salt. Sauté over medium heat until the onions are just starting to brown (about 10 minutes). Add squash, sweet potatoes, parsnip, stock, and bay leaf, cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat, simmer, and cook partially covered until vegetables are tender. While the vegetables are cooking, purée the garlic and ginger in a food processor, or mince by hand. Heat the remaining 3 Tbsp oil in a skillet and add the garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin. Sauté about a minute until fragrant. Add this mixture to the vegetables when they are done cooking. When you’ve cooked the garlic/ginger and are still waiting for the vegetable to finish cooking, destem and seed the chilies, place them in a pot with enough water to cover, and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat and let them soften for about 15 minutes, then drain (reserving 1 cup of the soaking liquid). Blend the chilies and reserved liquid, and set aside (this is for each person to add to their soup to taste). If this sounds like too much work just use cayenne powder, but it’s awfully good this way. When everything’s done cooking, remove the bay leaf and blend the soup until creamy. Add the lemon juice and salt to taste (about 1½ tsp?). Let sit a few minutes and adjust seasonings as ready. Stir in the chili paste when you serve the soup.

Creamy Lentil Soup (from Garlic Garlic Garlic)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 jumbo Spanish/Vidalia (or yellow) onion

4 plump garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, finely chopped

½ tsp dried thyme

1 bay leaf

2 cups (roughly 1#) green or brown lentils (preferably French)

4 cups vegetable stock (2 cans)

salt and pepper

1/3 cup dry sherry

¼ cup minced chives

Heat oil in a pot over medium heat. Add onion, increase heat, and cook until golden (roughly 10 minutes). Stir in garlic and carrots, and cook a few minutes more. Add thyme, bay, lentils, stock, and enough water to just cover the lentils. Cover and cook over high heat until liquid is bubbling. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are very soft, about an hour. Discard the bay and puree the soup. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add sherry and heat until simmering. Garnish with chives.

Fresh Pea Soup (modified from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures)

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 medium onions, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups vegetable stock

1 large potato, peeled and diced

2 cups (1 10 oz package) frozen lima beans

2 cups (1 10 oz package) frozen spinach

2 cups (1 10 oz package) frozen green peas

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tbsp fresh mint

Additional fresh dill or mint for garnish.

Optional: ½ cup cashews

Sauté onion and garlic in the olive oil in a stockpot about 10 minutes until the onions are tender. Add the vegetable stock and potatoes and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Add the frozen vegetables, cayenne, and salt, and remove 1 cup of the soup (set aside). Puree it in a blender (along with cashews, if using) or using an immersion blender until smooth, and stir in the reserved cup of soup, dill, and mint. Easy recipe!

Gazpacho

1 medium cucumber, diced

1 medium green pepper, diced

1 small red onion (or 4 shallots), diced

1 bunch parsley

1 avocado, diced

2½ pounds fresh vine-ripened tomatoes, diced

2 cup tomato juice

¼ cup red wine vinegar

3 Tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic

1 tsp cumin

2 tsp salt (add last, you may need less depending on how salty your tomato juice is)

1 fresh hot pepper (optional), or some hot sauce (if using hot sauce, decrease vinegar)

Dice the cucumber, pepper, onion or shallot, avocado, and parsley. Add the tomato, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, garlic, cumin, and hot peppers. I always blend half of the soup in a blender (or using an immersion blender) to make a thicker soup. Refrigerate for 2 hrs or more. Don’t bother making this recipe of you can’t get flavorful vine-ripened tomatoes, it’s really terrible (trust me on this one, I’ve tried it). You can use a little less tomato if they’re really expensive and/or you’re on a tight budget, but be sure to add extra tomato juice to compensate.

Indian Carrot Soup (from Jon)

¼ cup minced garlic

2 Tbsp minced ginger

2 tsp coriander

2 tsp cumin

Olive oil

1 large onion, chopped

1 fresh Anaheim pepper

¼ tsp cayenne

2# carrots, chopped

1 fennel bulb, chopped

4c vegetable stock or water

½ c raw unsalted cashews

1 tsp salt

½ cup tamarind concentrate (or more to taste as needed – strength varies by brand)

½ tsp cardamom

¼ tsp turmeric

Sauté the garlic, ginger, coriander, and cumin in 2 Tbsp olive oil for about 2-3 minutes, and set aside. In a large soup pot, sauté the onion, Anaheim pepper, and cayenne in another 2 Tbsp olive oil until the onions are translucent and soft. Add carrots, fennel, and vegetable stock or water, and cook until the ingredients are soft. Remove from the heat, and add the ginger/garlic mix. Blend in batches, along with the cashews, salt, tamarind, cardamom, and turmeric. Serve with toasted bread or naan.

Kale-Peanut Stew

2-3 cups chopped onions

1 head garlic

vegetable oil

2 bunches kale

2 20 oz cans undrained crushed pineapple

1 cup peanut butter

hot sauce and/or chiles to taste

1 cup chopped cilantro

salt to taste

Sauté the onions and garlic in the oil for about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. While the onions are cooking, wash the kale, remove the stems, and chop. Add the pineapple and its juice to the onions and bring to a simmer. Stir in the kale, cover, and simmer for about 5 minutes until just tender. Add peanut butter, hot sauce, and cilantro, and simmer 5 minutes more. Salt to taste and serve with rice.

Lemongrass Miso Soup (from The Millennium Cookbook)

4 leeks, cut into thin slices

2 carrots, cut into ¼ inch matchsticks

4 oz shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and finely chopped

8 cups vegetable stock (or 4 cups each veg. stock and water)

2 Tbsp dried arame or kombu strips (optional)

2 stalks fresh lemongrass (either chop and put in cheesecloth, or put in whole, with partial slices along the length of the stalk)

2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger

½ cup white or golden miso (or more to taste)

salt to taste

cayenne pepper to taste

Optional garnishes:

1 cup cooked bean thread noodles

4 snow peas, julienned

1 cup fresh corn kernels

4 oz fresh silken tofu, cut into ½ inch dice

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds

In a large soup pot, combine the leeks, carrots, mushrooms, and ½ cup of the stock. Cook over high heat until the liquid evaporates. Add the remaining stock, arame, and lemongrass. Lower the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes (until the lemongrass has thoroughly flavored the stock). Add the ginger, and whisk in the miso, salt and cayenne. Divide noodles, snow peas, corn, and tofu among the serving bowls. Ladle the soup over the vegetables, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Lentil soup (from Jon)

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 big ol' red onion, diced

1 # carrots, sliced

6 cloves garlic, pressed or minced

4 medium celery stalks

1 14½ oz can tomatoes (crushed or diced)

2 cups lentils (preferably 1 cup brown or green and 1 cup red)

about 5 cups water

1 Tbsp dried thyme (or to taste)

1 bay leaf

balsamic vinegar to taste

salt & pepper to taste

chili peppers or hot sauce to taste

Sauté the onion, garlic, carrots, and celery in the oil until tender (about 5-10 minutes). Add the water, lentils, thyme, bay leaf, and tomatoes, and stir. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until lentils are tender (30-45 minutes). Add vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve with French bread.

Lentil soup (“best lentil soup”)

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil

1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon curry powder

½ teaspoon dried thyme

1 large can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes

1 cup brown or green lentils, picked over (to remove rocks) and rinsed

4 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

1 teaspoon salt, more to taste

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 cup chopped fresh collard greens or kale, tough ribs removed

1 to 2 tablespoons lemon juice (~½ lemon), to taste

Warm the olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat and add chopped onion and carrot. Cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, curry powder and thyme. Cook and stir about 30 seconds. Pour in the lentils, broth and the water. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper. Raise heat and bring the mixture to a boil, then partially cover the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Cook for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender but still hold their shape. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes, stirring often, in order to enhance their flavor. Partially blend with an immersion blender to thicken. Add the chopped greens and cook for 5 more minutes, or until the greens have softened to your liking. Remove the pot from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Taste and season with more salt, pepper and/or lemon juice as needed.

Lentil-Tomato soup (from Gudrun Danielson)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup chopped onion

2 minced garlic cloves, or more

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 red or green bell pepper, minced

2 cups dried lentils

1 or more minced jalapeño peppers

6 cups water, or vegetable stock

1 14 oz can peeled plum tomatoes

¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

¼ tsp salt

fresh ground pepper to taste

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over med. heat. Add onion, garlic, coriander, cumin and bell pepper. Sauté for ten minutes, stirring a lot. Add lentils, jalapeño, and the water or stock. Pour tomatoes into a small bowl and squeeze them with your hands, so they break into small pieces. Add them to the soup. Let the whole mess simmer for 45 minutes. Take the pot off the heat, add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Note: this is a forgiving soup, alter as you wish!

Lobster mushroom, oyster mushroom, and chanterelle bisque (modified from The Millennium Cookbook)

2 leeks
2/3 cup diced carrot
1 tsp minced garlic
1 cup diced celery root or celery
2 Tbsp olive oil
4 oz (¼#) fresh chanterelle mushrooms, thinly sliced*
4 oz (¼#) fresh oyster mushrooms, thinly sliced
4 oz (¼#) fresh lobster mushrooms, thinly sliced*
2 tsp minced fresh thyme
1 tsp paprika
1/3 tsp ground nutmeg
1/3 cup dry sherry
6 cups vegetable stock
1 cup unsalted cashews (or more)
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp white miso
sea salt to taste
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives (optional)

Saute leeks, carrot, garlic, and celery root in the oil for 10 minutes. Add salt and mushroom and cook for another 5 minutes. Add thyme, paprika, and nutmeg, and sauté another few minutes. Stir in the sherry, then 5 cups of the vegetable stock. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender combine ½ cup of the remaining stock with the cashews, lemon juice, and miso. Blend until thoroughly smooth, adding more stock or cashews if necessary to achieve the consistency of heavy cream.

Whisk the mixture into the soup until completely blended. Let simmer for 5 to 10 minutes to thicken the soup, add the sea salt and pepper, and serve with the chives.

Note: If you can’t find fresh lobster mushrooms or chanterelles, you can use dried ones instead. Use roughly 1 oz, and let soften in 2 cups of the vegetable stock (very hot) for 30 minutes first. However, the texture won’t be nearly as good, so cut them up very finely after soaking if you use the dried ones. On the plus side, the flavor may be stronger. I really like the chanterelles to be fresh, but the lobster mushrooms are good either way.

Minestrone soup (from Jon)

4 oz (2 cups) macaroni noodles

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 med. onion, chopped

2 med. carrot, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

8 cups vegetable stock

1 16oz can diced tomatoes OR 4 fresh tomatoes

1 med. potato, in ½" pieces

1 tsp dried rosemary

2 tsp dried basil

¼ tsp black pepper

1 bay leaf

salt & black pepper to taste

1 tsp dried oregano

1 c dry red wine

1 can pinto beans

This soup amazing as is, but if you fiddle with it, it can get pretty tasty. In medium pot of boiling water, cook noodles until just soft (~8 min). Drain, rinse under cold water, and set aside. In large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft (~10 min). Stir in vegetable stock, wine, tomatoes, potato, rosemary, basil, oregano, bay leaf, and salt & pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until potato is almost soft (~8 min). Add beans, noodles, and cabbage and simmer again until cabbage is done (~10 min).

Potato-Leek-Onion soup (from Jon)

2 medium onions, chopped

3 medium leeks (white part only), chopped

1 head garlic (the more the merrier)

4-5 cups water

6 medium potatoes (Yukon Gold works well), cut however you prefer

4 celery stalks, sliced

1 stalk fresh lemongrass (or dried to taste)

cayenne to taste

salt to taste

dill to taste

1 cup soy milk

1 Tbsp lemon juice

Sauté the onions, leek, and garlic in a big soup pot with a bit of water (and some oil, if you like). Cook them until they get soft, then add the water, potatoes, celery, and seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer the soup for 30-45 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Cover the pot if you like a soup with thin broth, leave it uncovered if you prefer thick soup. When potatoes are soft, remove the stalk of lemongrass (if using fresh) and puree about half of the soup in a blender or food processor and mix it back in. Add the lemon juice to the soy milk and let sit for 5 minutes, then add it to the soup. If you’re cheap or don’t like having to throw out the green part of leeks, just use a bit extra onion and garlic.

Ramen (from Vegan For Everybody)

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 inches ginger, chopped

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 # seitan

8 oz shiitake mushroom caps, sliced

½ # bok choy or other greens, chopped

8 cups vegetable broth

½ oz kombu

¼ cup mirin

3 Tbsp not-beef broth bouillon OR soy sauce (or less, to taste)

2 Tbsp red miso (or less, to taste)

1 Tbsp seasoned rice vinegar

8 oz dried ramen noodles

2 green onions, sliced

2 sliced serrano chilies (optional)

1 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds (optional)

Heat sesame oil in large soup pot, and cook onion until soft, then add ginger, garlic, and mushrooms and cook until mushrooms are soft. Add vegetable broth, mirin, kombu, soy sauce (you can replace some with not beef bouillon if you like), and bok choy, and bring almost to a boil before turning off heat. Remove some broth and whisk miso into it until dissolved, then return to the pot along with chilies if using. Remove kombu.

Boil 4 quarts water and not beef bouillon to taste in a separate pot. Add ramen noodles and cook until al dente. Drain noodles and keep in a separate bowl from broth.

To serve, ladle out broth, add noodles, and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds. Fry up seitan separately, and place on top.

Roasted Corn Soup (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

6 ears corn (4 roasted, 2 fresh)

1 red bell pepper

1 poblano chile

¼ c olive oil

4 green onions (2 thinly sliced, 2 cut into ½” pieces)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 medium tomatoes, cut into ½-inch dice

1½ tsp salt

2 medium shallots, minced

3½ cups vegetable stock

1 cup diced russet potato, cut into ¼ inch dice

Preheat oven to 375F, and put 4 ears of corn on a baking sheet. Roast them until the husks are parched and brown, about an hour (or a little more). Shuck the corn and cut off the kernels. Shuck the other 2 ears, cut the kernels off, and blend them with ½ cup water. Cut the peppers into ¼ inch slices, cut two of the scallions into ½-inch pieces, and thinly slice the other two. Sauté the peppers and scallion in half of the olive oil until the peppers are softened (8-10 minutes), then add garlic and tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes have broken down (5-10 minutes). Blend and set aside. Sauté the shallots and scallions in the rest of the oil until the shallots start to brown. Add the corn kernels, corn purée, stock, and the diced potato, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered until the potatoes are cooked, about 10 minutes. Stir in the tomato mixture and a bit of black pepper.

Saffron, Sweet Potato, Fennel. And Roasted Garlic Bisque with Meyer Lemon Cream (from The Artful Vegan)

Meyer Lemon Cream:

½ c raw cashews

2 tsp light miso

Juice of 4 Meyer lemon (½ cup)

1 cup water

Bisque:

12 to 16 large cloves garlic

2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 yellow onion, diced

½ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp ground fennel seeds

1 tsp ground cumin

½ minced chipotle pepper

1/3 tsp saffron threads, soaking in ¼ cup vegetable stock

½ dry sherry

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into ½-in dice (2 cups)

2 fennel bulbs, but into ½-in dice

¼ cup arborio rice

1 Tbsp tomato paste

7 ¾ cups vegetable stock

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

salt to taste

freshly ground pepper

2 Tbsp toasted pine nuts

To make the bisque, place the garlic cloves in a dry sauté pan over high heat. Dry-toast for about 5 to 7 minutes, until half of each clove is charred. Remove from the heat. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until translucent (~7 minutes). Add the thyme, fennel seeds, cumin, chipotle, and garlic. Sauté for another 2 minutes, then add the saffron and its soaking liquid. Add the sherry and stir to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the sweet potato, fennel, rice, tomato paste, and stock. Decrease the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes, or until the fennel and sweet potato are soft. Pureé all of the soup, or leave it partly unpuréed for a chunky consistency. Add the balsamic, salt, and pepper to taste.

Make the cream by putting the cashews, miso, lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the water. Blend to a thick, coarse pureé, and with the machine running slowly add more water until the consistency is that of heavy cream.

To serve, ladle into 6 soup bowls, and garnish each bowl with 1 Tbsp of the lemon cream and 1 tsp of the toasted pine nuts.

Smoky Split Pea Soup (from the Bold Vegetarian Chef)

2 packages (6 oz each) “Fakin’ Bacon” (smoked tempeh)

4 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 ½ tsp salt

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 medium potatoes (red or Yukon gold), diced

¼ tsp black pepper

2 cups split green peas

8 cups vegetable stock or water

1 or 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Fry the fake bacon in 2 Tbsp of oil (medium-high heat) in a heavy soup pot, turning frequently until browned on both sides. Drain on paper towels and season with ¼ tsp of the salt. In the same pot, sauté the onion in the remaining oil until soft. Add the garlic, carrots, and potatoes and cook for another minute or two (until the garlic softens and starts to smell good). Add the pepper, the rest of the salt, the split peas, and the stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer about 45 minutes until split peas are fairly soft. Add the lemon juice and tempeh, cover and simmer 15 minutes more. Add salt and pepper to taste. Easy recipe!

Soondubu Jigae – Korean Tofu Soup (from Jon)

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

1½ cups chopped oyster mushrooms

1 cup vegetarian kimchi

3 Tbsp paprika

1 tsp onion powder

½ tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp Sriracha garlic chili sauce

1 Tbsp soy sauce

4 cups vegetarian beef broth (or water)

2 pounds fresh silken tofu, cubed (in refrigerator section, not Mori-Nu)

2 strips kombu (aka kelp)

Please note that this is not a totally authentic recipe; it would normally have real beef, clams, sometimes shrimp, etc. Nonetheless, it’s tasty! Sauté the garlic in oil until it starts to brown, then add the mushrooms, kimchi, paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and chili sauce. Saute for a few minutes, until it starts to stick a bit. Meanwhile, make the fake “beef broth” by dissolving vegetarian beef bouillon in 4 cups of hot water. Add the broth, soy sauce, tofu, and kelp. Cook until the kimchi is soft and tender, and adjust seasonings as necessary (more soy sauce, more chili sauce, etc.). When it’s done, remove the kelp/kombu and serve. Should be very spicy! If you can’t find vegetarian kimchi at Asian food stores, try health food stores. Easy recipe!

Sweet Potato Vichyssoise (from A Taste of Heaven and Earth)

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced leeks (white part only)

3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced ¼ in thick

4 cups water

1 bunch fresh cilantro

Juice of 1-2 limes

Salt

Freshly ground pepper

In a medium-sized soup pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat and sauté the leeks for 2-3 minutes. When they start to turn translucent, stir in the sweet potatoes and cook for a minute or two, stirring frequently. Add the water and bring to a simmer. Set aside enough cilantro for a garnish, and tie the bunch with a string or wrap in cheesecloth and add to the pot (If you’re not too picky about the final color of the soup, just throw the cilantro in as is, the only real difference is that the orange color turns a bit brownish). Cover with a lid and simmer for 45 minutes, or until potatoes are soft. Remove the cilantro and discard (if you tied it, otherwise leave it all in, or pick out the big stalks), and blend the soup until smooth and creamy. Season to taste with lime juice, salt, and fresh pepper. Serve garnished with chopped cilantro, and eat with crusty toasted French bread.

Vegetable Soup with Basil Sauce (from A Taste of Heaven and Earth)

2 cups diced carrots (1/2 #)

2 cups diced red potato (1 large or 2 small)

2 cups finely chopped yellow onion

1 bay leaf

2 cups cooked kidney beans

3 Tbsp soy sauce

4 cups water (or less)

1 cup green beans

kernels from one corncob (or equivalent in frozen corn)

Basil Sauce:

4 garlic cloves

6 Tbsp crushed tomatoes (fresh)

½ cup fresh basil

¼ cup olive oil

In a large soup pot, simmer the carrots, potato, onion, bay leaf, kidney beans, and soy sauce in the water for about half and hour (all vegetables should be soft and flavorful). While the soup is cooking, blend all of the sauce ingredients in a food processor (it helps if you chop the ingredients a bit before processing). Season to taste w/ salt and pepper. Five minutes before serving the soup, add the green beans and corn to the soup, and cook until the beans are bright green and tender. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil sauce. You may want to double the basil sauce so you have leftovers to go with bread.

Vegetarian Stew (modified from A Taoist Cookbook)

3 cups water

6 medium potatoes

4 medium carrots and/or parsnips

1 lg onion

Gardein beefless tips (1 package, optional)

2 stalks celery

3 large soft ripe tomatoes

2-3 large portobello mushrooms (cap and stem)

olive oil

8-10 chopped garlic cloves

2 tsp cumin

¼ cup soy sauce

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp finely chopped lemon zest

2 Tbsp sugar

1 cup red wine

Bring the water to a boil in a saucepan, while sautéing the onion & mushrooms in some olive oil in a big soup pot, then add beefless tips to onions and mushrooms (OR reserve them for now, see note below). Once the water is boiling, add to the soup pot along with potatoes, carrots, celery, and tomatoes. When stew is boiling strongly again, reduce heat to medium and add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until everything is tender and delicious. Microwave enough beefless tips for one portion and add to the bowl right before eating so they don’t get soggy (or add them earlier as noted above if you’re lazy and prefer the flavor to be in the broth). This is a hearty stew (it’s a lot like beef stew, but less beefy).

Winter White Soup (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

1 large head garlic

4 Tbsp and 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets (4 cups)

salt

1 cup cleaned and chopped leeks, white part only.

2 Tbsp shallots, chopped

1 medium potato, chopped into cubes

½ pound celery root (1 medium, 2 cups)

6 cups water or vegetable stock

bay leaf

¼ tsp black pepper

few pinches thyme

dill to taste

1 red bell pepper

2 hot red peppers

lemon juice (about ½ lemon)

Heat oven to 375F. Cut the top off of the head of garlic, drizzle with 1 tsp olive oil, and roast it in aluminum foil until soft (about 30 minutes). Toss the cauliflower with 2 Tbsp olive oil and ½ tsp salt. Spread it on a cookie sheet and roast about 30 minutes until golden brown. Warm the other 2 Tbsp oil in a pot, and cook the leeks and shallots until soft. Add potato, celery root, water or stock, roasted cauliflower, thyme, black pepper, and bay. Squeeze the garlic from their skins and add to the pot. Cover and boil, then reduce to simmer about 45 minutes until everything is tender. Meanwhile, roast the bell peppers and hot peppers over an open flame, or in the oven, peel blackened skin off, and add the peppers to the finished soup. Once the soup is tender and peppers have been added, blend it until smooth. Add dill and lemon juice to taste, and salt if necessary.

Zucchini Corn-Hominy Soup

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cup diced onion (~1 yellow onion)

salt and pepper to taste

2 zucchini, skin on, cubed (~4 cups)

2 teaspoon dried oregano

2 teaspoon ground cumin

½ tsp ground rosemary

2 tablespoons of water

2 cup vegetable stock

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes in juice

14.5 ounce can golden hominy, drained

7 oz can Herdez salsa (or other brands, but needs tomato, onion, hot pepper, cilantro, NO vinegar)

In a large pot over medium-high, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. When hot, add onion, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until tender and golden. Add spices and cook 1 more minute. Pour in stock and tomatoes, and once they have heated up simmer five more minutes. Add zucchini and cook until zucchini turns bright green and softens just a little. Add hominy and simmer an additional five minutes.

MAIN COURSES:

Baked Tofu Triangles (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

Marinade:

½ cup apple cider

¼ cup maple syrup

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup lemon juice

2 Tbsp canola oil

6 garlic cloves, minced

2 inch ginger, minced

2 stalk lemongrass, chopped*

4 Thai chiles, or 2 serrano chiles, minced

2 # firm tofu, pressed

Make the marinade and set aside. Next, cut each block of tofu into 3 slabs lengthwise, then cut the slabs diagonally into triangles, then cut them in half again to make smaller triangles. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, turning once. Put the tofu in a 9”X13” pan, and pour off enough marinade so that the tofu is covered about halfway. Bake the tofu 40-45 minutes, until golden brown and most of the moisture has been absorbed. Easy recipe!

*Note: The lemongrass is tough and can be painful to eat; either use only the softer inner layers or leave it in big chunks and pick it out after it’s done cooking.

Bar-B-Que Twists (modified from Soul Vegetarian)

1 10 oz box vital wheat gluten (this is a powder, not prepared seitan)

1/3 cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp paprika

2 cups water

1 small yellow onion (chopped fine)

¼ cup vegetable oil

½ cup peanut butter

BBQ sauce (see sauces section, or use Sweet Baby Ray's)

Mix wheat gluten with nutritional yeast, garlic, powder and paprika. Add the water and mix well first with a wooden spoon, then knead and break up any clumps with your hands. The texture should be fairly uniform at this point. Sauté the onion in the vegetable oil until it turns translucent (~5 minutes), then add the onions and hot oil to the gluten, along with the peanut butter. Using the wooden spoon, mix the oil, onion, and peanut butter into the gluten. The hot oil will help break down the gluten and you should be able to mix it together much more easily, but be sure to let it cool before using your hands! Keep mixing until consistency is stringy but doesn't tear apart. Pull off small pieces, and stretch and twist pieces into breadstick shapes. Place twists on a lightly oiled cookie platter and bake at 350 degrees for ½ hour or until crispy and brown on the bottom. Brush twists with BBQ sauce and bake 10 minutes longer until done.

Black bean burgers (tropical)

2 cans black beans

1 cup bread crumbs

2 tsp dried onion flakes or powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp salt

½ cup red bell pepper, finely diced

1 cup finely diced pineapple (fresh or canned)

½ cup finely diced mango

3 green onions, sliced thin

2 Tbsp cornstarch

2 Tbsp pineapple juice

Mix all ingredients together and bake at 350F ~20 minutes until lightly browned.

Black bean grit cakes with salsa verde

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup peeled and diced red onion

4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

5 cups water

2 cup quick-cooking grits

¼ cup nutritional yeast

1¼ tsp salt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp sweet paprika

½ tsp ground coriander

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

2 14 oz cans black beans, rinsed, drained and coarsely mashed with a potato masher (not a food processor)

2 cup panko bread crumbs

Salsa Verde (make your own, or buy some)

Garnishes: chopped fresh tomato, a dollop of vegan sour cream and fresh cilantro

In a medium saucepan over medium-high, heat olive oil to shimmering. Add onion and garlic and sauté until very soft and starting to turn golden. Add water and bring to a gentle boil. Stir in grits and next 5 ingredients and simmer, stirring very frequently, for 5-7 minutes or until water is evaporated and grits no longer taste raw. Remove from heat and spoon into a bowl. Stir in mashed beans until well incorporated. Cool to room temperature or in fridge if you want to cook them later.

When ready to cook the cakes, heat your oven to 350F. Shape cakes using either one or two scant ice cream scoops of the grits and black bean mixture per cake. Shape each cake into a patty in your palm and then dredge in panko bread crumbs, carefully turning to coat both sides. Lightly oil a cookie sheet or two, add the cakes, and then spray a bit of oil on top of the cakes as well. Bake for about 10 minutes, flip over, and bake for another 10 minutes (rough estimate only, cook until golden brown). Serve warm with Salsa Verde and garnish as desired.

Black bean, mushroom, and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 med onion, finely chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups finely chopped mushrooms

1 Tbsp chili powder

up to 1 tsp salt (to taste)

1 15 oz can tomato sauce

¼ cup water

¼ cup quinoa (rinsed)

4 large red bell peppers

1 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed.

1 tsp maple syrup

Fresh cilantro for garnish (if desired)

In saucepan, heat up the oil and then add onion. Sauté for 3-5 minutes until onions are translucent. Add garlic & mushrooms and sauté 5 more minutes. Stir in chili powder and salt. Add quinoa and 1 cup of the tomato sauce (reserve the rest), add the water. Lower heat and cover, simmer 20 minutes, stirring once.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Chop the tops off of the peppers and de-seed. Put a glass baking dish in microwave with 1 inch water in bottom. Microwave the water for 2 minutes. Then put the peppers in the dish and microwave 1 minute, turn the peppers over with tongs and microwave for another minute, until all sides of the peppers have gotten some time in the hot water. Basically, you are just tenderizing the peppers, so they aren't totally raw. Pour all the water out of the dish and shake off the peppers.

Combine beans and maple syrup with cooked quinoa sauce. Stuff each pepper with filing and set them with the open side down carefully in the baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over pepper and bake 15 minutes. Garnish with cilantro if so inclined.

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchiladas (from Vegan Planet)

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 small, fresh hot chile, seeded and minced

14 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed

14 oz can diced tomatoes, drained

1 Tbsp chili powder

Salt and pepper

2 cups salsa

8 large flour tortillas

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

Preheat the oven to 400F, and arrange the sweet potatoes in a single later on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Roast until tender (about 20 minutes), turning once in the middle. Remove from the oven and set aside. Reduce the oven temperature to 250F.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, and add garlic and chile. Cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds), and add beans, tomatoes, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the sweet potatoes and simmer for 5 minutes before setting it aside.

Spread a thin layer of salsa over the bottom of a lightly oiled 9X13 baking pan. Spoon some of the filling in the center of each tortilla, roll them up, and place them in the baking dish (seam side down). Spoon any remaining filling mixture and salsa on top of the enchiladas, and sprinkle with the onion. Cover and bake until hot and bubble, about 20 minutes. Easy recipe!

Caribbean Jerk Pizza with Tropical Salsa (from Vegetarian Pizza)

1 recipe of pizza dough (see “breads” section)

1 package seitan

Tropical salsa:

1 cup finely diced ripe mango

1 cup finely diced ripe pineapple

½ cup minced green onion

2 Tbsp minced fresh hot chile

½ cup minced fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp rice vinegar

Jerk paste:

1 cup coarsely chopped yellow onion

2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh hot chile

½ cup sliced green onion

1 tsp crumbled thyme

1 tsp ground allspice

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground black pepper

To make the jerk paste, combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth. Marinate the seitan in the jerk paste for at least an hour. Meanwhile, to make the salsa, combine all ingredients, cover and chill for at least 1 hour, then drain well and return to room temperature before using. Add the seitan and jerk paste to the crust, and bake at ~400F until crust is golden brown and done. Top with the salsa and serve.

Cauliflower Dal with Panch Phoran

1 1/2 cups masoor dal or red lentils
4 cups water
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/8 teaspoon canola oil (or canola oil spray)
2 tablespoon panch phoran*

1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp minced ginger

16 ounces diced tomatoes (or 1 can)
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets)
1/2 cup water

Pick over and rinse the lentils and add them to a pot with the water and turmeric. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer until the dal is tender, about 20 to 35 minutes. When done, add salt and set aside. While the dal is cooking, chop and cook the vegetables. Heat a large, deep skillet, preferably non-stick. When hot, add the canola oil and shake it to spread it around. Add the panch phoran and stir. (You may instead use oil spray; spray before and after adding the panch phoran.) When the first seed pops, immediately add the onion, garlic, pepper flakes, and ginger paste. Stir and cook until the onion softens, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cauliflower, and water, and stir. Cover and cook until the cauliflower is just tender, about 10 minutes.

When the dal and cauliflower are both done, add the dal to the cauliflower mixture. Stir well, and check seasoning, adding more salt if needed. Simmer gently for about 10 minutes to allow flavors to blend. Serve hot, over rice if desired.

*Panch phoran is equal parts fennel seed, mustard seed, cumin seed, fenugreek, and kalonji. If you lack kalonji, use equal parts oregano, cardamom powder, and cumin powder as a substitute for it.

Chana Masala (Chole) (from Shankar Rao)

3 cans chickpeas

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 1/2 tsp. Coriander Seeds

1 1/2 tsp. Chili Powder

1/4 tsp. Turmeric Powder

1/4 tsp. Garam Masala Powder

2 Onions

2 Tomatoes

2 small cloves garlic

1 cm. ginger

1 Tbsp. cumin seeds

1/2 tsp. sugar (optional)

Salt (as necessary)

½ bunch cilantro

Open three cans of garbanzo beans and drain the water, and keep the water aside.

Coarsely chop tomatoes and onions. Grind into fine paste together with ginger, garlic, coriander seeds, half the cumin seeds, chili powder, turmeric powder and one Tablespoon cooked garbanzo beans. Heat oil in a thick pan. When hot add half Tablespoon of cumin seeds and (optional) sugar to it. When the cumin seeds splutter, add the ground paste. Fry until the onion becomes golden brown. Add the ground garam masala, frying on a medium flame until the raw smell of the masala disappears. Add a little bit of the water drained from the garbanzo beans from time to time, until the oil starts floating on top of the garam masala. Stir in the garbanzo beans and remaining water and simmer for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle garam masala and serve piping hot, garnished with stripped green chilies, coriander (cilantro), diced onions and tomatoes for color.

Chickpea and Cauliflower Curry (from The How Not to Die Cookbook)

¼ cup vegetable broth

1 red onion, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced

1 ½ Tbsp curry powder

1 head cauliflower, chopped

8 oz green beans, chopped

1 14 oz can diced tomatoes

2 roasted red bell peppers

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

½ tsp smoked paprika

1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained

Boil the broth in a large pot over medium-high heat, add onion and cook until soft. Add garlic, jalapeño, and curry powder and stir well. Add cauliflower, green beans, tomatoes, roasted bell peppers. Cover, bring to a boil, and simmer until tender (~20 minutes). Add nutritional yeast, chickpeas, smoked paprika. Serve over brown rice.

Chickpea and Spinach Curry

1 28 oz can diced tomatoes

6 Tbsp vegetable oil

4 tsp mustard seeds

2 large onion, cut into ¼ inch dice ~2 cups

8 cloves garlic minced

¼ cup fresh ginger, minced

2 Tbsp curry powder

4 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

¼ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp asafetida (optional)

6 cardamom pods

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste

10 cups fresh spinach

2 15-oz cans drained chickpeas

Preheat a medium sized saucepan over medium heat, pour in veggie oil & mustard seeds. Let seeds pop for a minute (probably you should cover the pan so it doesn’t go everywhere). Then add the onion, turn up the head to med-high and sauté 7-10 mins, until onions start to brown. Add garlic and ginger, sauté 2 mins more. Add spices, salt and ¼ cup of the juice the canned tomatoes are in, sauté one more minute. Add tomatoes and heat through. Add handfuls of spinach, mixing each addition in until wilted. Once you’ve wilted all the spinach and the mixture is liquid-y, add the chickpeas. Lower the heat and simmer 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Taste, and adjust spices if needed. Simmer uncovered 10 more mins. Serve. Quick and easy recipe!

Chili - Caribbean Black Bean (from The Joy of Cooking)

4 cups dried black beans (or 4 cans)

¼ cup vegetable oil

2 medium red onions, diced

¼ c garlic, minced

hot peppers to taste

¼ cup chili powder

¼ cup ground cumin

2 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

2 tsp ground black pepper

3 tsp orange zest

2 tsp lime zest

1½ cups fresh orange juice

¾ cup fresh lime juice

1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes

If using dried beans, rinse them and put them in a large pot with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until almost tender (about an hour). (if using canned beans start here). Drain the beans. Heat the oil in the same pot, and add the onions. Cook until the onions start to brown, then add the garlic and hot peppers and cook for another minute. Add all of the other ingredients (except the beans), stir together, and bring to a simmer. Then stir in the beans, and return to a simmer. Cover, and cook until the beans are soft, occasionally stirring and adding water as needed until the beans are soft (another 2 hours or so of using dried beans, just a few minutes for canned). Easy recipe!

Chili (aka Jon Fisher’s Grand Unifying Theory of Chili)

1 yellow onion

6 cloves garlic

¼ cup peanut oil

14 oz tube Gimme Lean ground beef style fake meat

3 Tbsp chili powder

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp cocoa powder

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp black pepper

1 Tbsp Sriracha garlic chili sauce

3 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp salt

28 oz can diced or crushed tomatoes

3 cans beans (black, or pinto, or kidney)

6 oz beer (I like a beer like a bock or ale)

1 Tbsp smoky scotch

1 Tbsp good dark rum (I use Barbancourt)

1 red bell pepper

3 carrots

This chili was my attempt to make a stream-of-consciousness chili drawing on whatever I had around the house, but paying homage to the various chili schools (Texas, Cincinnati, etc.). Please disregard any ingredients you don’t like and modify heavily, this is just one I happened to like as it came out and later replicated.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat and add garlic and onion. Cook until soft. Add the gimme lean, breaking it up into small chunks with your hands and/or a wooden spoon. Sauté until the gimme lean has browned (if it starts sticking, add a bit more oil, or some of the juice from the tomatoes). Add the spices (chili powder, cumin, cinnamon, cocoa, garlic powder, pepper, salt) plus the chili sauce, maple syrup, and beans. Sauté for a couple more minutes, then add tomato, tomato paste, beer, scotch, rum, and stir well. Add the red pepper and carrots and water to cover (if necessary) and cook until carrots are soft. Better the next day. Easy recipe!

Edamame Salad with Shiso and Lemon Vinaigrette

3 cups shelled edamame, or soy beans (about 12 ounces)
3 Tbsp lemon juice (from 2 lemons)

40 shiso leaves
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup rice vinegar
¼ cup maple syrup
½ tsp salt (or more to taste)
1 tsp ground black pepper (or more to taste)

1 # pasta

Start cooking the pasta, and meanwhile cook the edamame according to the package's instructions. Drain and cool to room temperature. Zest and juice the lemons and put both into a blender w/ 10 shiso leaves, olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, and salt and pepper. Blend well and gently mix the dressing with the edamame. Slice the remaining shiso leaves into chiffonade and add to the edamame. Serve over the drained cooked pasta. Salt and pepper to taste if needed.

Eggplant Rasavangy (from Dakshin Vegetarian Cuisine, modifications by Jon)

Curry Paste:

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

6 small dried red chili peppers

1 Tbsp black mustard seeds

10 fresh curry leaves

1½ tsp asafoetida powder

1½ Tbsp coriander powder

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Other ingredients:

1½ cups red lentils (or moong dal or other lentil), rinsed and drained

4 cups water

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 green chilies, chopped

3 small fresh tomatoes, chopped

1# eggplant

½ cup tamarind concentrate

1½ tsp turmeric

1½ tsp sambar powder (or chole powder, w/ lots of coriander / chili / pepper / cumin)

1 Tbsp date sugar

1 tsp salt, plus more to taste if needed

Boil the water and cook the lentils in it over low heat until soft, ~20-25 minutes. Set aside, no need to drain. While the lentils are cooking, heat 1 T vegetable oil in a small pan over medium heat, and add the chili, mustard seeds, and curry leaves. Cover with a lid, and cook until the mustard seeds start to pop. Remove from the heat, and stir in the asafoetida, coriander powder, and coconut flakes. When cook, blend into a paste in a food processor. Heat 1 T veg oil, add green chili, tomato, and eggplant and cook ~5 minutes. Add all other ingredients (except lentils and curry paste), cook ~15 minutes until eggplant is soft, then add lentils and curry paste.

Fajitas (from the Chicago Diner Cookbook, modifications by Jon)

Tortillas

Marinade:

½ cup chopped cilantro

2-3 green onions, sliced

1 small jalapeño pepper, minced

2 cloves garlic

1/3 cup lime juice

3 Tbsp canola oil

2 tsp cumin

½ cup water

¾ tsp salt

1/3 cup tequila (or ¼ cup rum & 1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp whiskey)

Filling:

2 Tbsp oil

1 small onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 medium tomato

1 pound seitan, cut into strips (or 1 package Morningstar “chick’n strips”)

Mix all the marinade ingredients in a blender, and marinate the seitan in a bowl for at least an hour (or overnight). In a nonstick skillet, cook the marinated seitan with some of the marinade until it’s a bit crispy on the outside, and set aside. Heat the oil in the same skillet, and add onion, pepper, tomato. Simmer 8-10 minutes until soft, add seitan, mix well, and cook another few minutes.

Garlic-Glazed Tofu (from James McNair's Pizza, with alterations by Jon)

1 package of firm tofu

1½ cup rice vinegar

½ cup soy sauce

2 heads garlic (yes, really. It isn't too much)

5 Tbsp honey

crushed dried red pepper to taste

vegetable oil (preferably peanut or sesame oil)

1/8 cup toasted sesame seeds

¼ cup chopped green onions

Toast the sesame seeds in a skillet until golden. Set aside. Combine the vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, honey, red pepper in a bowl. Heat some oil in a skillet, and saute the tofu until it gets slightly golden, then remove and set aside. Cook the garlic mixture until the sauce is reduced to the consistency of syrup, then add the tofu and cook for a few more minutes. This works very well as a pizza topping, or to fill sandwiches with (like sloppy joes). If making a pizza, make the crust with sesame oil, bake it for 5 minutes, top the pizza with the tofu and sauce as evenly as possible, and garnish with green onions when it is done.

Gnocchi with Beet-Merlot Reduction and Walnuts (from The Artful Vegan)

Gnocchi:

6 lg golden potatoes

1 russet potato

2/3 c unbleached white flour (plus more as needed)

1 tsp salt

Beet-Merlot Reduction:

1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil

6 shallots, halved

1 red beet, peeled and quartered

1 thyme spring

1/2 rosemary sprig

1/3 tsp salt, plus more as needed

2 Tbsp dried porcini mushrooms

2 c. roasted vegetable dark stock or mushroom stock

2 cups merlot

¼ c dried cherries

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tsp cornstarch, dissolved in 2 Tbsp cold water

Freshly ground black pepper

1 head garlic

½ cup chopped walnuts

The sauce for this recipe is enough work that I recommend just buying some gnocchi, but if you’re feeling ambitious it is much better homemade. To make the gnocchi, prick the skin of the potatoes with a fork and bake at 400^oF until tender (40-60 minutes). Let cool, then scrape the flesh into a bowl and mash. Add flour and salt, and knead for about 2 minutes to form a soft dough. If too sticky, add more flour. Roll 1-inch thick ropes of dough and cut into ½-inch sections, pinching each piece into a bow-tie shape. Place on a floured pan and freeze for at least 1 hour.

To make the reduction, heat the oil over medium heat and add the shallots. Sauté for 10 minutes or until lightly caramelized, then add beet, thyme rosemary, salt, and porcini and sauté another minute or two. Add the stock and wine and simmer over low heat about 20 minutes or until reduced by one half. Strain the mixture into another saucepan, add the dried cherries, and simmer 15 more minutes or until reduced by 1/3. Add the vinegar, cornstarch slurry, and salt and pepper to taste. The sauce should be thick enough to just coat the back of a spoon.

To cook the gnocchi, bring at least one gallon of salted water to a boil, and add half of the gnocchi. Cook 5-6 minutes until gnocchi float to the surface, then remove using a slotted spoon. Heat olive oil and some minced garlic in a skillet, then add gnocchi and cook until they start to brown. Serve on a pool of reduction, and top with chopped walnuts

Greek Salad Sandwiches (from Jon)

2 large cucumbers, sliced

4 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped

1 small red onion, sliced into thin crescents (quarter the onion then slice thin)

1 block Violife vegan feta, cut into small cubes

Optional: lettuce, or sprouts, or whatever else you like

Greek pita or lavash

Dressing:

½ cup olive oil

⅓ cup red wine vinegar

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dry oregano

1 tsp dry basil

¼ tsp black pepper

½ tsp salt

(after cutting the tomatoes & cucumbers up, drain the liquid into the dressing)

Cut up the veggies and let them drain. Mix all of the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl, using a whisk to combine oil and vinegar. Put the veggies and feta in the pita, sprinkle on the dressing right before you eat it so the veggies don’t get soggy. Adjust any ingredients to your liking, this is just a rough guide rather than a hard and fast recipe.

Jerk Seitan (from Vegan w/ a vengeance)

2 cups seitan strips, preferably homemade (it’s more tender than storebought)

1 small onion, thickly sliced (~1 cup)

1 green bell pepper, thickly sliced

2 tsp vegetable oil

Marinade:

½ large white onion, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 ½ Tbsp fresh ginger, chopped

3 Tbsp fresh lime juice

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp dried thyme

1 tsp allspice

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cayenne

1 tsp ground nutmeg

Prepare the marinade by pureeing all ingredients in a blender until mostly smooth. Place the seitan in a shallow bowl and cover with marinade. Marinate for one hour. Cook the onions and peppers in a large skillet over medium-high heat until the onions start to brown. Remove the marinated seitan from the marinade (saving the liquid), and add the seitan to the skillet. Cook about 10 minutes until the seitan has browned, then add the remaining marinade and cook for about 2 minutes to heat the sauce. Serve with coconut rice and sautéed greens.

Lamb-style vegan biryani (veganized and modified from a recipe from Jon’s mom)

For the seitan/ “lamb”:

1 batch tender seitan (lamb-style), about 2 pounds

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground cloves

½ tsp cinnamon powder

½ tsp cardamom powder

¼ tsp black pepper

1 cup soy yogurt

¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 lemon)

2 Tbsp agave nectar

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and minced

¼ cup canola oil

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 large onions

For the rice:

3 cups brown basmati rice

5 bay leaves

6 green cardamoms

10 cloves

4 small sticks cinnamon

10 peppercorns

1 tsp salt

½ tsp saffron strands

1 Tbsp soy milk

Note: the two things to start in advance of this recipe is making your tender seitan, and soaking the rice an hour before you want to start cooking it.

Mix the spices, salt, soy yogurt, lemon juice, agave nectar, garlic, and ginger in a large bowl. Cut the seitan into small pieces, add to the bowl, mix well, and set aside. After it has marinated for about 30 minutes, I recommend searing it in a nonstick pan with a little bit of oil to brown it, but if you skip this step it’ll still be good.

Slice onions finely and fry in the oil until golden brown (this takes a long time, maybe 20 minutes unless you have a huge pan). Drain the onions in a colander, but put a bowl below it to catch and save the oil. Remove and put two-thirds of the onions into the seitan mixture, reserving the last 1/3 of the onions and the oil.

After your rice has soaked for an hour, preheat the oven to 375F, and take a large pan and add 8 cups water. Add the spices and salt and bring to a boil. Add the rice and remove after 20 minutes. Drain the rice thoroughly in colander. Mix the saffron in the hot soy milk. In a 9X13 baking pan, add the seitan / onion mixture, and cover with the rice. Pour the oil drained from the onions over the rice, add the saffron and soy milk, and top with the last 1/3 of the fried onions. Put in the pre-heated oven at 375F for 30 minutes.

Lasagna (from Quick Vegetarian Pleasures & Sarah)

Sauce:

1 32 oz jar pasta sauce

1 garlic clove, pressed

½ cup dry red wine

1 ½ cups water

1 tsp oregano (dried)

Tofu Ricotta:

2 Tbsp olive oil

2/3 cup diced onion

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp basil (dried)

2 tsp oregano (dried)

¼ cup dry red wine

1# extra-firm tofu, pressed

3/8 tsp salt

Black pepper to taste

1# uncooked lasagna noodles

Nutritional yeast (optional)

Mushrooms, beefless crumbles / Italian seitan, spinach or collard greens (optional)

This lasagna recipe is nice because you can skip cooking the noodles separately, which makes it slightly easier (they cook in the lasagna). Begin by making the tofu ricotta. Heat the olive oil in a skillet until hot, then add onion, garlic, basic, and oregano. Sauté about 5-10 minutes until translucent, then add the wine and cook until it has evaporated. Remove from heat and crumble in the tofu. Blend in a food processor until creamy, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients listed under sauce. Pour about 1/3 of the sauce into a 9” X 13” pan, then add a layer of the uncooked lasagna noodles, then a layer of ricotta. If desired, sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top of the ricotta layer. Repeat this layering (sauce, lasagna, ricotta, nutritional yeast) about two more times (with ricotta on top).

Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil. If you wish at this point you can keep it in the fridge for up to 24 hours before baking, but if you do so bring it back to room temperature before baking. Bake one hour, then remove the foil and bake for another 15 minutes (or until the sauce has thickened and the noodles are tender. Let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting.

Lemon Tofu w/ Capers (from vegweb & Sarah)

2# extra-firm tofu, pressed

½ cup nutritional yeast

¼ cup whole wheat flour

½ cup lemon juice

¼ cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp white vinegar

1 Tbsp caper juice

2 green peppers, chopped

2 Tbsp capers

Vegetable oil

Fry the tofu in a bit of vegetable oil (about 4 minutes on each side) in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the nutritional yeast and flour to the pan, making sure to coat everything. If it’s not sticking to the tofu, add a bit of water. Cook for 2 more minutes, and then add the lemon juice, soy sauce, vinegar, and caper juice. Cook it until all of the liquid has been absorbed by the tofu. Add the peppers and capers and cook for another few minutes. Serve on rice or bread.

Lentils and Mushrooms in Red Wine (from Jon)

2¼ cups French green (Puy) lentils

3 leeks (white part only)

12 cloves garlic

6 large portobello mushroom caps, chopped

¼ cup olive oil

1¼ cups red wine

6 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbsp dried thyme

1.5 Tbsp Dijon mustard

1 cup tomato puree (put 2 fresh tomatoes in blender)

¼ cup soy sauce

salt and pepper

fresh parsely for garnish

Cook the lentils (Add lentils and about 5 cups water to saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce heat. Add water as needed until lentils are cooked - about 20 minutes). If you don’t chop quickly, chop your mushroom, leeks, and garlic before proceeding. While the lentils are cooking, heat the oil in a large saucepan. Slice the leek and mince the garlic, and add them to the oil. Chop the mushrooms, and after the leek and garlic have cooked for a few minutes, add the mushrooms and raise the heat until they are slightly browned and start to smell good (about 5 minutes). While the mushrooms are cooking, mix the wine, chopped parsley and thyme, mustard, tomato puree, and soy sauce. Add the mixture to the mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add the cooked lentils and simmer for 5 minutes more. If there is a lot of liquid, turn up the heat and boil the mixture to reduce it. If you plan to have leftovers, leave some extra liquid as it will be absorbed in the fridge. Make sure to wait until near the end to taste it, because the wine will change a lot as it cooks. Garnish with parsley and serve with toasted bread. Easy recipe!

Macaroni and “Cheese” (from the new farm vegetarian cookbook)

3½ cups (dry) elbow macaroni

½ cup vegan margarine

½ cup flour

3½ cups boiling water

2 Tbsp soy sauce

1½ tsp salt

1½ tsp garlic powder (or crushed fresh garlic)

pinch of turmeric

¼ cup vegetable oil

1 cup nutritional yeast flakes

Paprika

Preheat oven to 350° F. Cook the macaroni, drain, and set aside. In a saucepan, melt the margarine over low heat. Beat in flour with a wire whisk (or fork) and continue to beat over medium heat until mixture (called a roux) is smooth and bubbly. Whip in the boiling water, soy sauce, salt, garlic powder, and turmeric, beating well to dissolve everything. Cook the sauce until it thickens and bubbles; then whip in the oil and nutritional yeast flakes.

Mix part of the sauce with the noodles and put in a 9”X13” baking pan or casserole dish. Then pour a generous amount of the sauce on top. Sprinkle with paprika, and bake for 15 minutes. Then put under broiler for a few minutes until top is crisp.

Mapo Tofu (from Jon)

3 Tbsp peanut oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

1 package Gimme Lean (sausage style)

5 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp minced fresh ginger (about ~1 inch)

6 green onions

¾ cup vegetarian chicken stock (I used “better than boullion”)

2 Tbsp fermented black bean paste (I used Lee Kum Kee brand Cho Hou paste instead)

¼ cup + 2 Tbsp chili sauce (I used Dynasty brand Szechuan Chili Sauce)

2 Tbsp agave nectar

5 Tbsp ground Szechuan peppercorns

2 Tbsp rice wine (or dry vermouth or sherry)

2# soft (not silken) tofu, cubed

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet, and add the gimme lean when hot. Break it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks so it ends up in small pieces. Cook until mostly browned, then add the garlic, ginger, and green onions and cook for a few minutes more. Mix together all of the other ingredients (except for the tofu), and add them to the skillet. Heat until the sauce is boiling, then add the tofu and cook for 5 more minutes. If the sauce is too thin, mix together 1 Tbsp cornstarch to 2 Tbsp cold water and add to the mixture. Serve other rice, and optionally stir fry some mustard greens to go with it to make it healthier.

Mexican Beans (from Jon)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups chopped onion (1 small onion or ½ big onion)

1 red pepper, chopped (optional but recommended)

1 chayote, chopped (optional but recommended)

4 chipotle chili peppers in adobo sauce, minced (they come in cans, save the unused ones)

½ tsp garlic powder

1 ½ tsp cumin

1 ½ tsp Mexican oregano

¼ tsp salt

5 cups cooked beans (black, pinto, it’s all good) or 3 cans

½ cup water

Tortillas

1 lime (optional)

Cilantro (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Heat up the oil in a skillet, and when hot add the onion (and the red pepper and chayote if you’re using them), and sauté for a few minutes until they get soft. Add the chili peppers and spices, and cook for another minute or so until it smells good, then add the beans and stir well. Cook them for a few minutes, then add the water. I like kind of half-refried beans so I just use a masher to break up roughly half of the beans in the skillet but leave some whole, and keep mixing them up. Eat on tortillas w/ lime, cilantro tomatoes, red onion, chopped red pepper, greens, and salsa if you like.

Mini Crustless Tofu Quiches

olive oil spray
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 cup bell pepper
1 cup chopped mushrooms
1 tablespoon minced fresh chives (or one green onion)
1 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary (or 1/2 tsp. dried, crushed)
black pepper to taste

1 12.3-ounce package lite firm silken tofu, drained of water
1/4 cup plain soymilk
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon cornstarch (may sub another thickener such as arrowroot or potato starch)
1 teaspoon tahini (preferred) or cashew butter
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2-3/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Spray 12 regular-sized muffin cups well with non-stick spray. Lightly spray a non-stick skillet with olive oil and sauté the garlic, bell peppers, and mushrooms over medium heat until the mushrooms just begin to exude their juices. Stir in the chives, rosemary, and freshly ground black pepper, and remove from the heat.

Place the remaining ingredients into a food processor or blender. Process until completely smooth and silky. Add the tofu mixture to the vegetables and stir to combine. Spoon equally into the 12 muffin cups: it will fill regular muffin cups about halfway.

Put the muffin pan into the oven and immediately reduce the heat to 350 F. Bake until the tops are golden and a knife inserted into the middle of a quiche comes out clean--about 25-35 minutes depending on your oven and muffin cups (silicone will take longer than metal, so if you're using a metal pan, check it at 20 minutes). Remove from the oven and allow them to cool for about 10 minutes. Enjoy! They're light, so plan on making more of these—or serve hearty side dishes—if you're serving more than 3 people.

Orange-Ginger Tofu Triangles (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

Marinade:

1 cup fresh orange juice

¼ cup rice vinegar

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 Tbsp sesame oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 Tbsp minced ginger

¼ tsp crushed red pepper

1 green onion (or more), chopped

2 dried chipotle chiles

¼ cup cilantro, chopped

1 # firm tofu, pressed

Mix marinade and pour into a baking dish. Cut the tofu into 4 thin slices, then cut the block in half diagonally to make 8 triangles. Marinate for at least 30 minutes, up to overnight. Pour off some marinade so that tofu is covered halfway, and bake at 350F for 40-45 minutes, until tofu is golden and most of the marinade has been absorbed. An award-winning recipe.

Oseng-Oseng Tempeh (from Jon)

2 Tbsp canola oil

1 tsp sesame oil

6 cloves of garlic, minced

3 cloves shallots, minced

1 inch galangal or ginger, minced

¼ cup Tamarind concentrate

2 Tbsp Sriracha garlic chili sauce mixed with 2 Tbsp water

3 bay leaves

1 Tbsp shredded dried lemongrass

¼ cup agave nectar, or palm sugar, or barley malt, or brown rice syrup

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tomatoes, chopped

2 packages tempeh, cut into small cubes

1 cup green beans, cut into one inch length. If using frozen beans, cook them partway.

In a wok or skillet, sauté garlic, shallots, and galangal or ginger with the oil over high heat until fragrant. Add tempeh, and cook until the tempeh is starting to turn golden-brown. Add tamarind, chili sauce, bay leaves, lemongrass, agave (or other sweetener), soy sauce, and tomato (and green beans using using fresh rather than frozen), reduce heat to medium, and cook for another 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens. If using partially cooked frozen green beans, add them near the end. Adjust the taste with additional tamarind (if not tangy enough), sweetener, and/or soy sauce if needed. Serve it over warm steamed rice.

Pad Thai – from Nisa’s Mom.

Sauce:

¼ cup tamarind liquid

3 tsp salt

1 cup sugar

1 cup + 2 Tbsp white vinegar

¾-1 cup water

1 package clear rice noodles

bean sprouts

tofu

garlic (a bit, minced)

braised gluten (optional)

green onions

lime

crushed peanuts

crushed red pepper

sugar

Combine sauce ingredients, bring to boil, lower to med-high, and cook until it is thick and dark, stirring constantly. Soak noodles in warm/hot water until almost done (probably 2-3 hours hour or more). They should be firm but bending. Cook tofu with garlic in peanut oil. Add noodles, tofu, and sauce to pan, and cook for a bit. Add bean sprouts, cook briefly until noodles are done, then let each individual add the other ingredients to their own plate to taste.

Palak Paneer (aka Easy Tofu Saag from vegandad blog)

1 bunch kale

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 chunk ginger, chopped

3/4 to 1 cup water

1 14oz can diced tomatoes

1 Tbsp mild curry powder

1 tsp chili powder

other Indian spices to taste (I like cumin & garam masala)

salt to taste

1# extra-firm tofu, diced

3 Tbsp soy yogurt (optional)

Remove the tough stalks from the kale, and cook for 10 minutess with a splash of water over medium heat in a large pot with the lid on. Kale should cook down and be tender, but still be a nice bright green.

Put kale, onion, garlic, and ginger in a food processor. Add water and blend until smooth. Add more water if too thick.

Put kale mixture in a large pot and bring to bubbling over medium heat, stirring regularly. Cook for a few minutes. Add tomatoes (juice and all) and spices. Adjust seasonings to taste. Add tofu and cook, uncovered, for 15 minutes, reducing heat if it begins to stick. Stir regularly and let thicken. Stir in yogurt, if using, and serve over rice.

Patates Salatasi (Turkish potato salad) – from Mike Sheridan

5-6 potatoes

1 onion (Spanish/Vidalia onions seem to be the best bet)

¾ cup olive oil (this is a guess: the measuring systems here are

by coffee- and tea-cups, so I just don't know for sure)

¼ cup vinegar and/or lemon juice

1 bunch of parsley

1 bunch of dill (same amounts of parsley and dill, altered to taste)

1½ teaspoon paprika flakes

salt (add to taste, about ¼-½ tsp)

1. Chop potatoes into little squares & boil them until done.

2. Put olive oil, vinegar & paprika into pan. Add salt to taste.

3. Chop onions, parsley & dill.

4. Add salt to chopped onions, smash them up & put in pan.

5. While you're at it, go ahead & put chopped parsley & dill into the pan, too.

6. Add contents of pan to contents of pot. Mix it all up like a crazy fool, yo.

Pizza – use Pizza dough recipe (breads section), and brush dough with olive oil and bake 5 min at 400F. Top with good pizza sauce, and a sautéed mixture of your favorite ingredients (I like veggie sausage and pepperoni, onion, pepper, garlic, mushroom, olives, artichoke harts, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers). Sprinkle with soy mozzarella (good brand like “follow your heart”, Teese, Daiya, or Sheese) or nutritional yeast and bake until crust is done.

Polenta with Mushroom Sauce (from 30 Minute Vegetarian Recipes)

Polenta:

1 cup yellow polenta

3 cups water or vegetable stock (or a mixture of both)

½ tsp salt

Sauce:

½ oz dried porcini mushrooms

1 shallot

1 cup brown or button mushrooms

2 Tbsp olive oil

2/3 cup tomato puree (from fresh tomatoes)

2 Tbsp dry white wine

2 Tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley (optional)

To make the sauce, soak the dried mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, chop the shallot and fresh mushrooms, and cook in olive oil over med-high heat for about 5 minutes, until softened. Drain the mushrooms (keep the soaking liquid), chop them, and add them to the pan along with the tomato puree, parsley, white wine, and soaking liquid. Reduce heat to medium, season with salt and pepper, and cook about 10 minutes until sauce is thick. To make the polenta, boil the water or stock, add the salt, and pour in the polenta while stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer 5-8 minutes, or until polenta is thick. It can be eaten right away (soft), or put in a square pan or Tupperware container and left in the fridge to get solid. Serve with the sauce.

Potato Masala (from Dakshin Vegetarian Cuisine from South India)

2.5 pounds potatoes

3 green chili peppers, finely chopped

1-1.5 inches fresh ginger, scraped and finely chopped

2 medium onions, finely chopped

4 tomatoes, finely chopped

salt to taste (about 1.5 tsp)

1 teaspoon ground turmeric

1.5 cups water, more if needed

1 cup boiled green peas (optional)

1 bunch cilantro or coriander leaves, finely chopped

1-2 tsp garam masala

For tempering:

2 Tablespoons oil

1 Tbsp Brown mustard seeds

1 Tbsp Cumin seeds

2 tsp black gram lentils (urad dal)

2 tsp yellow split peas (Bengal gram dal, chana dal)

2 tsp asafetida

a few fresh curry leaves

Boil, peel, and mash potatoes. Set aside. Heat oil in a large saucepan, add the dal and cook for a minute or two. Add all the other ingredients listed under “tempering,” and cook until the mustard seeds pop (let them pop for a minute or two), stirring often to prevent burning. Add chilies, ginger, onion, and tomatoes, and cook for a few minutes. Add salt, water, and turmeric, and cook covered until onions are well cooked (about 5 minutes). Add potatoes (and peas if using), and cook until thoroughly blended and thickened. If bitter, add some sugar. Garnish with cilantro, and eat with dosas (make from scratch or a mix).

Puerto-Rican style beans

1 medium russet or Yukon Gold potato, diced

12 green olives with pimentos, chopped

1 yellow onion, diced

½ bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 15 oz cans kidney or pink beans (drained)

1 8 oz can tomato sauce

1 cup water

½ tsp ground coriander

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp ground annatto

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp dried oregano

¼ onion powder

salt to taste

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and cook onions until soft. Add the potato, olives, beans, tomato sauce, water, and spices. Stir and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato is tender and the sauce is thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste and season with salt.

Roasted potatoes, chickpeas, and spinach with spicy cashew sauce

2 lbs small red potatoes, cleaned & quartered

¼ cup peanut oil

¾ tsp salt

1 Tbsp fennel seeds

1 Tbsp ground cumin

1 tsp turmeric

1 cinnamon stick

1 medium onion chopped

1 fresh jalapeno pepper, minced

1 ½ inches fresh ginger, peeled & minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 cans chickpeas, drained

½ cup cashew butter (we used our spice grinder to blend up whole cashews to make this)

2 Tbsp tomato paste

¾ cup veggie stock or water

4 oz (1 bunch) fresh spinach (just get the kind in the bag)

¼ tsp freshly ground pepper

Give yourself some time in advance, for this, since you have to wait 35-45 minutes for the potatoes to roast. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Toss quartered potatoes w. 1 Tbsp of the peanut oil & ¼ tsp of salt. Spread out on a baking sheet and roast 35-45 mins, or until tender & nicely browned. Turn potatoes once while they roast for evenness. In large try skillet, toast the fennel seeds, cumin, turmeric, and cinnamon stick over med heat, stirring until fragrant and a shade or 2 darker, about 1-2 mins. Add remaining oil, onion, jalapeno pepper, ginger, and garlic to the spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is very soft and a touch browned, about 5 mins. Add chickpeas, cashew butter, tomato paste, and veggie stock, stirring to blend. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until sauce thickens, 5-7 mins. Stir in roasted potatoes & spinach. Cook until spinach wilts, 1-2 mins. Season with remaining salt & pepper. Discard cinnamon stick. Serve.

Root Croustades with Sunshine Bell Peppers (From Classic Vegetarian Recipes)

Marinade:

1 each orange, red, and yellow bell peppers (3 total)

6 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp red wine vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp honey (or maple syrup, or some sugar)

some salt and pepper to taste

Croustades:

1 # red potatoes, grated

1 # carrots, grated

1.5 # celery root (celeriac), grated

3 garlic cloves, crushed

2 Tbsp lemon juice

¼ cup melted margarine

equivalent of 2 eggs (1 Tbsp egg replacer and 2 Tbsp water)

2 Tbsp vegetable oil (or more)

Place the whole peppers on a cookie sheet, and bake in an oven preheated to 375F for about 35 minutes, turning after 20 minutes. Stop cooking them if they start to burn badly, although some blackening is OK. Remove the peppers from the oven, cover with a dish cloth, and let cool for 10 minutes. Peel the skin off, cut in half, and remove seeds. Thinly slice the peppers into strips, and place in a shallow dish. Mix the olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper together, and pour over the peppers. Leave to marinate for 2 hours (not really necessary, but nice).

To make the croustades, mix the garlic, lemon juice, margarine, and egg replacer together in a large bowl. Add the carrots, celery root, and potatoes (preferably grated in that order to minimize discoloration) to the bowl, and mix well. Add some salt. Divvy the mixture up into 12 haystack-looking piles, and put 6 on each of 2 cookie sheets (or if you have enough sheets and oven room, split it up into 18 among 3 sheets for smaller, crisper, tastier croustades). Brush with vegetable oil, and bake in an oven preheated to 425F for 30-35 minutes until crisp and golden. Heat the bell peppers and marinade for a bit, the spoon over the croustades and enjoy. If you didn’t marinate the peppers (or even if you did), be sure to put some extra marinade on the croustades. Be forewarned that the cookie sheets are pretty hard to clean afterwards, these things really bake onto them.

Rosemary-Scented Polenta - serves 4 (from Simple, Lowfat & Vegetarian)

3 cups water

3 cups vegetable broth

2 tsp crumbled rosemary

2 cups dry yellow polenta (coarse cornmeal)

½ cup chopped black olives

½ cup chopped sweet pepper

1 tsp olive oil (optional)

homemade or prepared tomato sauce (Puttanesca works well)

Coat a 9 x 13-inch rimmed baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Set aside. In a large saucepan, combine water, broth, and rosemary. Heat to a boil. Slowly whisk in polenta and cook about 5-10 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly. Stir in olives and red pepper. Pour mixture into greased baking pan. Let cool several hours or overnight. Heat oven to 400F. Cut cooled polenta into 8 pieces. Leave in baking pan. Brush with half of the olive oil. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, turning once and brushing with remaining olive oil until golden brown. Serve heated with tomato sauce.

Seared Moroccan Tofu (from ivu.org)

1 1/2 lb. Firm or extra firm tofu (not silken)

1/2 cup soy sauce, tamari or Bragg's liquid aminos

3 Tablespoons lemon juice

3 Tablespoons molasses

1 teaspoon cumin powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

1 teaspoon pepper

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 Tablespoons sesame oil

1 1/2 teaspoons Spike seasoning

1 generous pinch saffron

Press tofu to remove excess water. Slice into 2" x 2" x 1/2" squares. Mix remaining ingredients in blender. Marinate tofu in liquid at least 1 hour. Remove tofu, reserve marinade. Heat skillet over high heat for a minute or so. Turn down heat to medium. Pour a thin layer of cooking oil in skillet. Sear tofu on each side, brushing each side with marinade, until slightly blackened.

Seitan – from Christine Whalen

2 cups gluten flour (10 oz, usually one box)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp ground ginger

1 1/4 cup water

3 Tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp sesame oil

Broth:

5 cups water

1/4 cup soy sauce

fresh ginger slices or dried seaweed (optional)

Whisk dry ingredients together. Mix the wet ingredients together. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry with a fork. Knead 10-15 times, then let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Knead a few more times, then let the dough rest for 15 minutes.

Slice the dough into 6-10 pieces, and stretch them a little. Add cutlets, when boiling, then reduce to barely simmer. Simmer in broth for 40-60 minutes (it's usually done in about

45-60 minutes for me). If you don’t plan to use right away, store in broth or drain and freeze. This makes a nice, standard, firm & chewy seitan, probably closest in texture to beef if anything.

Seitan, "Lamb-style" (modified from vegsource.com)

Dough:
2 cups vital wheat gluten
¼ cup white wheat flour
¼ cup tapioca flour (I ground tapioca pearls in a spice grinder)

2 Tbsp white flour
2 Tbsp chickpea flour
1 Tbsp vegetarian chicken broth powder

½ tsp garlic powder
½ tsp coriander

¼ tsp rosemary
¼ tsp salt

2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cup vegetable stock (if you have it, add 1 Tbsp vegetarian beef bouillon)
1 Tbsp tamari

2 Tbsp olive oil

Cooking Broth:
2 cups vegetable stock

6 cups water

1 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup tamari
¼ cup nutritional yeast

½ onion, peeled and sliced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 Tbsp vegetarian chicken broth powder

1 tsp sugar

Whisk all dry ingredients together, mix the wet ingredients together, and stir the wet ingredients into the dry with a big wooden spoon. Knead 10-15 times, then let the dough rest for 5 minutes. Knead a few more times, then let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, bring the cooking broth ingredients to a boil.

Roll the dough out into a log, and slice off cutlets about ½”-1” thick. Add cutlets, when boiling, then reduce to barely simmer. Simmer in broth for about an hour. If you don’t plan to use right away, store in broth or drain and freeze. Note that this recipe is actually too tender for lamb, and if anything is a closer fit for veal.

Seitan Bourguignonne – from The Voluptuous Vegan

¾ pound homemade seitan, chopped

½ c low-sodium soy sauce

2 t barley miso

2½ c dry red wine (use ½ c of this for marinade)

¼ c mirin or sake

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

¼ c canola oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

½ oz dried porcini mushrooms

2 red bell peppers, de-stemmed, seeded, cleaned, and chopped

¾ pound fresh shiitakes or other mushrooms

1 T olive oil

2 onions, thinly sliced

28 oz chopped tomatoes (if canned, drain)

2 T tomato paste

salt

black pepper

cayenne pepper

several T chives, chopped

Combine soy sauce and miso in a medium bowl, then add ½ c red wine, mirin, vinegar, canola oil, and garlic and whisk until blended. Pour all but ¾ c over the seitan and let marinate for 30 minutes. Place the dry porcini mushrooms in a small bowl, cover with 2c boiling water, and set aside for 20 minutes. Place two layers of paper towels in the colander and put a bowl underneath. Pour the porcinis through, rinse them off, and chop. Reserve the soaking water.

Preheat oven to 375. Arrange the seitan in a single layer in the baking dish. Add enough marinade to cover halfway. Bake until most of the marinade is absorbed - 30 to 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, place a sheet of parchment paper on each cookie sheet. In a bowl, stir 2 T marinade with red peppers, then spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 40 minutes. Turn over the peppers every 10 minutes.

De-stem and cube the shiitakes, toss with ½ c marinade, spread on the other cookie sheet and bake for 30 minutes, turning them over halfway through.
Note: If your oven isn't large enough to accommodate two cookie sheets plus a baking dish, you can put the peppers on one side and the mushrooms on the other side of a single cookie sheet or baking pan.

Heat oil in the Dutch oven over medium-low heat, add onions, and sauté for 12-15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Add remaining 2 c wine, increase to high heat, and cook about 15 minutes, until about half of the wine has boiled away. Turn to medium heat, add tomatoes and tomato paste, and cook for 5 minutes.

Add roasted peppers, both kinds of mushrooms, seitan, 2 T marinade, and 2 c porcini water (or plain water if you used fresh porcinis). Cover, bring to a boil, then lower heat to simmer. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne to taste. Simmer for 10 minutes, sprinkle with chives, and serve with lots of toasted bread. This is an incredibly flavorful stew so it stretches out really far with bread, and it’s especially good in winter.

Seitan Wat (modified from Joy of Cooking)

Niter Kibbeh:

1 stick margarine

3 Tbsp chopped onions

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger

1 one-inch piece cinnamon stick

¾ tsp turmeric

Heaping ¼ tsp whole cloves

1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

1 cardamom pod, crushed

Berbere:

¼ cup paprika

1 to 3 tsp ground red pepper

1 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves or allspice

¼ tsp ground coriander

2 packages seitan, drained and chopped

1 lemon

3→4 cups finely chopped onions

1 Tbsp minced garlic

1 Tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1½ tsp salt

1½ cup dry white wine or water

1 tsp black pepper

This is a recipe for making berbere sauce, directions are given here for using seitan (or mock doro wat), but instead of seitan you can use red lentils (yemisir wat), yellow split peas (kik wat), or potatoes (dinich wat). First, make the niter kibbeh by melting the margarine in the saucepan, and adding the other ingredients. Simmer uncovered until the sediment falls to the bottom and the onions are lightly browned (about 15-25 minutes). While it’s cooking, mix together all the ingredients of the berbere and set aside. Strain through a fine sieve, discard the solid parts, and set the spiced margarine aside. Rub the drained seitan (or lentils, or potatoes, or whatever) with ½ lemon, and sprinkle with salt. Heat a large pan over mediun heat (without oil or water), and add the onions to the dry pan. Cook the onions stirring constantly until the onions are very dry and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes, and then add ¼ cup water. If it starts badly sticking or burning add the water earlier. Cook until the onions are deep brown, about another 10 minutes. Be very careful not to let them burn. Add the berbere and ½ cup warm water. Mix together, then add the niter kibbeh along with garlic, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Over medium heat bring to a simmer and cook for a minute or so. Add the seitan, and turn to coat well. Return to a simmer, then reduce heat so that the sauce barely bubbles. Cover and cook for 30 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking. Stir in the wine or water and black pepper, and cook about another 10 minutes, until the seitan is very tender and the margarine starts to rise to the top. Stir together, and serve with injera, bread, or rice.

Soba Noodles with Ponzu Sauce (from The Millennium Cookbook)

4 bundles of soba noodles

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp canola oil

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin

1 large head broccoli, cut into small florets

1 red bell pepper, sliced into thin strips

1 block tofu, cut into small cubes or strips

1 Tbsp sesame oil

2 tsp toasted sesame seeds

Ponzu Sauce:

4 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp coarsely chopped fresh ginger

1½ stalks lemongrass, chopped into ½ inch pieces

½ tsp red pepper flakes

¼ cup dry sherry or white wine

1 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce (preferably tamari)

½ cup brown rice syrup

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for about 20 minutes, and strain through a fine-meshed sieve. Discard the solid stuff (the lemongrass and ginger will be tough). While the sauce is cooking, cook the soba noodles until al dente, rinsing thoroughly under cold water afterwards. In a wok, sauté the garlic for 30 seconds, add the mushrooms, broccoli, pepper, and tofu. Sauté for 2-3 minutes more, add the ponzu and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and heat the noodles. Toss with the sesame oil, and garnish with sesame.

Socca (from Daring Gourmet)

1.5 cup chickpea flour

1 ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 ½ tsp sea salt

1 ½ cup water, room temperature

¼ c + 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, divided (2 T, then 3 T)

1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp chopped fresh rosemary

extra olive oil for brushing

extra pepper for sprinkling

In a mixing bowl whisk together the garbanzo bean flour, salt and pepper. Pour in the water and continue to whisk until the batter is smooth. Add 2 Tbsp olive oil and whisk to combine. Let sit at room temperature for at least 20 minutes or up to several hours. Preheat the oven to 450 F. Heat a 12-inch cast iron pan and add the remaining 3 Tbsp olive oil. Cook the onion until deeply caramelized. Add the chopped rosemary and cook for another minute. Spread the onion mixture out evenly over the bottom of the pan.

Pour the chickpea batter over the onion mixture. Place the pan on the middle rack of the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes or until the socca is firm, the edges are set, and it is golden in color. Next brush the socca with some additional olive oil and then place it under the broiler for another minute or two until well browned and just beginning to scorch in a few places.

Spanakopita (from Katie @ the Red Herring)

1 onion, chopped fine

1 lb spinach, chopped

1 package silken tofu (firm also works, or a combo), crumbled or pureed

3 Tbsp nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp lemon juice

A little Miso or umeboshi paste (1 tsp?)

1 tsp salt

Pepper

Pinch nutmeg

1 box (16 sheets) Phyllo dough

Olive oil

Sauté the onion in a skillet with a bit of olive oil, once it’s mostly soft add the spinach, tofu, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, nutmeg, miso or umeboshi, salt and pepper. Cook for another minute or two and set aside. Lay out one sheet of phyllo dough on a cookie sheet, and light brush with olive oil. Top with another sheet, and brush again. Repeat for a total of 8 layers. Cover with tofu/spinach mixture, then with 8 more layers of phyllo dough (w olive oil brushed in between each layer). Bake at 375^oF for about 40 minutes.

Spicy Bean Hot Pot (like chili, from 30-minute vegetarian recipes)

1 lg onion

6 cloves garlic

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground cumin

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

1 small can tomato paste (or to taste)

Lots of hot sauce

Salt and pepper

15-oz can red kidney beans, drained

15-oz can pinto beans, drained

15-oz can cannellini (white kidney) beans, drained

1 package Soyrizo, or some Gimme Lean (beef-style)

Start cooking the Soyrizo or Gimme Lean in a saucepan until browned. Chop the onion and mince the garlic, cook them in the olive oil with the cumin in a soup pot over medium heat for a few minutes. Add the undrained can of tomatoes, tomato paste, hot sauce, cooked Soyrizo, and seasonings. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beans, then cook 10 minutes more until thickened. Add more hot sauce to taste, and serve with toasted French bread. This is like a really thick chili. Easy recipe!

Spicy Peanut Sesame Soba Noodles - makes a lot (from The Joy of Cooking)

2 cups natural unsalted peanut butter

½ cup rice vinegar

¼ cup soy sauce

3 cloves garlic

cayenne powder or other peppers to taste

3 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp salt

about 1 cup of freshly brewed black tea

sesame oil

¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

About half a kilogram of soba noodles (buckwheat), roughly 6 bundles

Optional fresh veggies: cucumber, red pepper, radish, etc.

sautéed mustard greens (optional)

Blend all of the above ingredients except for the noodles and sesame seeds (add peanut butter last). Add sesame oil if needed to thin it out a bit. Cook the soba noodles, and add the sauce (there may be some extra sauce; if so use as a dip for veggies). Add the seeds, and some mustard greens and/or cucumber strips too. Note: these even noodles are better when reheated!

Squash and Black Bean Casserole (from the Fat-free vegan kitchen)

2 cans black beans (drained and rinsed)

1 cup corn (fresh or frozen)

1 medium yellow onions, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp cumin

2 tsp mild chili powder

1 teaspoon ancho chili powder (or other mild chili powder)

1/8 – 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder (to taste)

28 oz canned diced tomatoes (drained with liquid reserved)*

2 lb pumpkin or butternut squash (or other winter squash)

Sauce:

¾ cup reserved tomato juice

1 ½ cups soymilk

1 cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp chickpea flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp mustard powder

1 tsp paprika

2 Tbsp tahini

½ cup raw cashews

Combine black beans, corn, onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, chili powder, chipotle chili (reserve the soaking liquid), and drained tomatoes in a large bowl. Peel the squash and cut it into very thin slices (~ ¼”thick and 2” long). Preheat over to 425F, and lightly oil a 9X13 baking pan. Lay 1/3 of the squash slices in the bottom of the pan, sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper, and cover with ½ of the bean mixture. Add another 1/3 of the squash, then the rest of the bean mixture, then the rest of the squash. In a blender, combine the reserved tomato liquid and all of the other ingredients listed under sauce. Blend well, and pour over the squash. Cover tightly (with aluminum foil or an oven-safe lid if your pan has one), and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil or cover and bake about 20-30 minutes more, until sauce is thick and bubbly and squash is tender.

Stuffing / Dressing:

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup minced shallots

2 leeks, sliced thin

4 stalks celery

4 carrots

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 # mushrooms (cremini or mixed wild, 2 boxes from farmer’s market)

2 tsp sage

½ tsp powdered rosemary

1 Tbsp Thyme (fresh), minced

½ tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

1 cup white wine

1 pound bread (mixed wheat and white, ideally of similar density), cut into cubes (Ravenhook bread cubes are ~3/4# per bag)

~ 3 cups vegetable stock (more if using dry bread cubes)

Poultry seasoning

Heat oil in a skillet, add shallots and leeks, and sauté until soft. Add mushrooms and garlic. When almost soft add salt, herbs, and spices, and cook until dry. Meanwhile, oil a 9 x 13 pan (with olive oil) and set aside, and preheat oven to 400F. Deglaze the vegetable mixture with 1 cup white wine, cook until about half as evaporated, and add celery and carrot. Continue to cook until almost all of the wine has evaporated. Add to bowl with bread cubes, ¼ cup additional white wine, and mix well. Add enough stock to make it thoroughly moist but not soggy. Sprinkle on a bit of poultry seasoning on top. Mist or spray top with more oil. Bake at 400 uncovered for ~30 minutes on top rack in an oiled 9 x 13 pan until golden brown on top. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sweet Potato Crepes with Cilantro-Tamarind Sauce (from Vegan with a Vengeance)

Spice Blend:

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp fenugreek seeds

1 tsp black mustard seeds

2 cardamom pods

6 cloves

Pinch of ground cinnamon

Pinch of cayenne pepper

½ tsp salt

Filling:

2 Tbsp peanut oil

1 yellow onion, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp minced ginger

2½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into ½” chunks

½ 15 oz can coconut milk

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp lime juice

Sauce:

½ cup raw cashews

2 cups lightly packed cilantro

2 tsp tamarind concentrate

½ 15 oz can coconut milk

1 tsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp peanut oil

Pinch salt

Crepes:

1½ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup chickpea flour

1 tsp salt

2 Tbsp olive oil

2 cups water

Heat a small skillet over medium heat, and add all ingredients listed under spice blend (except cinnamon, cayenne, and salt), and toast for about 2 minutes while tossing the spices around in the pan. When they smell good, grind in a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, and add cinnamon, cayenne, and salt.

For filling, heat a large skillet with oil on medium, then add onions and bell pepper and cook for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and ginger and cook about 2 minutes more. Add spice blend and stir well. Add sweet potatoes, cook for a minute or two and cover the pan. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently, until the sweet potatoes are tender. Once the sweet potatoes are done and you’ve made the sauce (as below), add coconut milk, maple syrup, and lime juice, cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

Meanwhile, while the sweet potatoes are still cooking, make the sauce by grinding the cashews in a blender, then add remaining ingredients and blending until smooth.

To make crepes, combine dry ingredients, then add water and oil. Mix until very smooth, cover with plastic wrap, and let chill for ½ hour. Heat a nonstick 9-inch pan with a bit of oil, and add ¼ cup batter. Tilt the pan to cover. When the edges are starting to brown, flip over and cook until firm.

To serve, top each crepe with sweet potato filling and a dollop of sauce. Incredible!

Sweet Potato Gochujang (from Olives for Dinner)

1 large sweet potato, sliced very thin

½ Tbsp sesame oil

Sauce:

½ Tbsp toasted sesame oil

1 cup shallots, finely chopped

3 Tbsp mirin

1-2 Tbsp gochuchang

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp peanut butter

Sliced green onions

Sesame seeds

Crushed peanuts

Preheat the oven to 375F, and coat a 12” cast iron pan with ½ Tbsp sesame oil. Thinly slice the sweet potatoes and arrange them in a spiral pattern. Cover with tinfoil and bake for 35 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the shallots in the remaining ½ Tbsp of sesame oil, and once soft add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Remove from the heat. Once the potatoes are done, pour the sauce over them and bake uncovered another 15-20 minutes until done. Garnish.

Teriyaki Tofu – from Tofu Cookery / Joy of Cooking

1 # tofu, cut into ½” slices.

¼ cup flour

¼ tsp black pepper

Marinade:

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup sake (if you don’t have it, you could use extra-dry sherry or extra-dry vermouth)

1/3 cup mirin (if you don’t have it, use more sherry or vermouth plus extra sugar)

2 tsp sugar

1 clove garlic, minced

Combine marinade ingredients in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until dissolved. Pour marinade over tofu in a pan and marinate for two hours. Drain and reserve marinade. Dip tofu slices in mixture of flour and pepper, and fry in oil. For more flavor, cook the fried tofu in its marinade for 10 more minutes, for crispier tofu, add the sauce to the bread or rice you’re serving with the tofu.

Thai Curry (from Nisa)

Curry paste (red, yellow, green, masaman, panang, whatever)

2 cans coconut milk

1-2 heads broccoli

1 # tofu

1-4 red or Yukon Gold potatoes

anything else (green beans, peas, cauliflower, etc.)

Just heat the coconut milk up, when it gets hot add curry paste a spoonful at a time (you might want to mash it up in some coconut milk in a separate cup to ensure it dissolves) until you like the taste and spiciness level. Different curry pastes have different strengths, I usually use yellow paste in a plastic tub and use maybe 3-4 Tablespoons. Once the curry paste is mixed in (you may want to add some soy sauce and/or salt as well to taste), add whatever needs to cook the longest. If using the above ingredients, that’s tofu (which needs to get flavorful) and potatoes (which need to get soft). Once potatoes are mostly soft, add broccoli and cook until bright green and mostly soft. Serve over rice (jasmine or brown).

Thai Pizza (from James McNair's Pizza (with several alterations by Jon)

Sauce:

¼ cup each finely chopped carrot, celery, and onion.

1 package seitan (or 2 cups drained seitan), chopped

lots of garlic (maybe 8 cloves), minced or pressed

1 Tbsp minced shallot

2 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 tsp fresh lime zest

1 tsp crushed dried red pepper

3 large sprigs fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp brown sugar

1/3 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime juice

2 Tbsp crunchy peanut butter

2 Tbsp peanut oil

Pizza Dough (recipe in Breads section)

Topping:

peanut oil

4 green onions, thinly sliced

1 carrot, peeled and cut into fine julienne

¾ cups bean sprouts

½ cup coarsely chopped dry-roasted peanuts

chopped fresh cilantro to taste

Combine all of the ingredients for the sauce, and refrigerate it while you prepare the pizza dough. Once the pizza dough has almost risen, start cooking the sauce in a wide skillet over medium-high heat until it has thickened (enough so that it won't run off the pizza). Brush the pizza dough with peanut oil, and bake the pizza for about 5 minutes or so, then take it out of the oven. The crust should be slightly hardened. Top it with the sauce, some of the green onions, the carrot and bean sprouts, and peanuts. Bake until done, then top with the remaining onions and cilantro, brush the crust with peanut oil again, and serve. This is an incredible dish, but a fair amount of work, so I usually double the recipe (which at least lets you properly enjoy it)

Tofu-leek Tart with Pine Nut Crust (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

Crust:

½ cup pine nuts or walnuts

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

¼ tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp olive oil

¼ cup soy milk

Pinch of salt

Topping:

1 Tbsp olive oil

6 cups (~1 pound) sliced mixed (or crimini) mushrooms

1-2 Tbsp tamari (depending on how salty you like it)

Filling:

2 Tbsp olive oil

3 cups chopped leeks (white part only)

1# firm tofu (pressed)

2 Tbsp rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves

2 tsp miso paste

½ tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

1 Tbsp arrowroot powder

2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Grind the pine nuts in a small food processor with a few Tbsp of the flour until finely ground. Transfer to a bowl, and add the rest of the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk together the oil and soy milk and add to the flour mixture, stirring until well mixed. Press the crust into an oiled 9-inch pan, pressing the part where the sides meet the bottom to make sure there isn’t extra crust there. Poke all over with the tines of a fork, then bake the shell for 5 minutes before removing it and setting it aside (leave the oven on).

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the mushrooms and sauté for several minutes. Add the soy sauce and cook 10-15 minutes until the mushrooms have released their juices and the pan is almost dry. Dump the mushrooms into a bowl, keeping the burner on and the skillet hot.

Add 1 Tbsp olive oil to the skillet, and once hot, add the leeks as well. Cook 10-12 minutes until soft, then set aside and turn off the burner. In a small food processor, combine the tofu, remaining 3 Tbsp of olive oil, rice vinegar, garlic, miso, salt, and pepper, and process until very smooth and creamy (it should not be gritty or grainy anymore). Add the arrowroot and rosemary, and process for another minute or so. Pour this mixture into a bowl and add the leeks. Spread the filling over the prebaked crust, then evenly spread the mushrooms over the top and press them gently into the tofu mixture. Bake about 40 minutes until the filling is firm and the crust is lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let sit for a few minutes before removing from the pan.

Tom Tofu (from Vegan Vittles)

2# extra firm tofu, drained and pressed

Canola oil for frying

Marinade:

1 ½ cups water

¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp soy sauce
¼ cup plus 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp poultry seasoning

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp onion granules

1 tsp garlic granules

Coating / batter:

1 cup flour

½ cup cornmeal

½ cup nutritional yeast

1 tsp onion granules

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Mix the marinade ingredients in a rectangular dish of some kind (we use a loaf pan). Cut the tofu (parallel to the shorter side) into ½” thick slabs, and stack them fairly tightly into the dish / pan. Ensure that all tofu has some marinade on top of it (you might want to shake it around), and let it marinate for several hours or overnight.

When ready to fry the tofu, drain it (save the marinade for another dish), and mix the coating ingredients in a wide shallow bowl. Start heating the canola oil in a skillet (a thin to medium layer, you don’t need more than ~½ cm). Dredge each piece of tofu, making sure to coat both sides. When the oil is hot, add the tofu, cook for a minute or two until golden brown and crispy, then flip. When both sides are crispy transfer to a plate with paper towels on it to drain some of the oil off. If the oil gets too full of flour you may have to drain it, give it a quick wipe, and add fresh oil. If you make this in advance, reheat in the oven or toaster oven to get them crispy again. Happy Thanksgiving!

DESSERTS:

Blueberry Crisp Squares (from Sarah)

1 ½ cups old fashioned oats (NOT quick cooking)

¾ cup all purpose flour

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

½ cup vegan butter (like soy garden or earth balance)

¾ tsp cinnamon

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp baking soda

3 cups frozen or fresh blueberries (I have only used fresh, so I can’t vouch for how good or not frozen would be)

½ cup sugar

1 Tbsp lemon juice (fresh squeezed)

1 Tbsp cornstarch

1 tsp grated lemon zest (from that lemon, before you squeeze it)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. First, zest that lemon and squeeze out the lemon juice from it. Now, line an 8 inch square pan with aluminum foil (don’t skip this!) enough to overhang the edges. Grease the foil. In a bowl, combine flour, oats, brown sugar, butter, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt until crumbly. Reserve 1 cup of the mixture for the topping. Press remainder firmly and evenly into the pan. Bake until golden, 12 mins. While base is baking, mix cornstarch with lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Then add sugar, zest and blueberries. (you can frankly add less sugar than this and its still quite good, esp. if the blueberries are nice n’ ripe. I think it is a little on the too sweet side with the full amount of sugar. Experiment to see what you like best). Bring mixture to a boil and cook, stirring, about 5 mins. Pour filling into base, crumble topping over blueberry filling, and bake until golden and bubbly, 30 – 35 mins. Cool completely before cutting, using the foil to lift the bars out of the pan. If you are impatient, like me (Sarah), you can get it out while still pretty warm, and serve with some vanilla soy ice cream.

Brownies (from The Millennium Cookbook)

Prune Purée:

½ cup chopped and pitted prunes

½ cup water, more if needed

Brownies:

2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

1½ Tbsp baking powder

1½ cups Sucanat

1/8 tsp salt

1½ Tbsp flaxseeds

½ cup canola oil

1¼ cups soy milk

1 cup maple syrup

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

½ cup chocolate chips, optional (Ghirardelli’s is best)

To make the prune purée, simmer the prunes and the water in a saucepan for 5 minutes, and blend until smooth. This adds depth to the flavor, and makes it lower in fat. You can also double the prune purée and omit the canola oil, or use 1 cup oil and no prunes (which is honestly better). To make the brownies, preheat the oven to 350F. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, sucanat, and salt. In a blender, grind the flaxseeds until they become a coarse meal (about 1 minute). Add the prune purée, oil, soy milk, maple syrup, and vanilla. Blend until smooth, and pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture. Mix until combined, then fold in chocolate chips and pour into a greased 9X13 pan. Bake 40-44 minutes, or until brownies are firm to the touch and have pulled away from the sides of the pan. Serve with Soy Delicious, and maybe chocolate sauce or raspberry sauce.

Carrot Cake (from Jon)

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking soda

1½ cup granulated sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp salt

equivalent of 4 eggs (2 Tbsp egg replacer and ¼ c water, mixed well)

6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate

3/8 cup oil

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 cups shredded carrots

1 cup chopped walnuts

1 apple, shredded

Optional (for glaze):

margarine

powdered sugar

fresh squeezed orange juice

Mix the dry ingredients together and set aside. Mix all other ingredients together, and add the dry stuff. Pour batter into a greased and floured 9X13 pan. Bake in a preheated 350F oven for 45-50 minutes. If you want some glaze, just melt a few T of margarine, add enough sugar to make however much glaze you want, and then add first orange juice to taste and consistency. Just orange juice and powdered sugar is also fine as a glaze. Add the glaze while the cake is still warm.

Chai Latte Cupcakes (from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World)

Cupcakes:

1 cup soy milk

4 black tea bags or 2 Tbsp loose black tea

¼ cup canola oil

½ cup vanilla (or plain) soy yogurt

¾ cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup flour

¼ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp cardamom

½ tsp ground ginger

¼ tsp ground cloves

Pinch ground black pepper

Topping:

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

1 Tbsp cocoa powder

½ tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350F and line 12-cupcake pan with liners. Heat soy milk in a small saucepan (or microwave) until almost boiling, remove from heat, add tea bags and cover. Let it steep for 10 minutes, then squeeze out the soy milk from the tea bags and discard them. Measure the soy milk tea mixture and add more soy milk if you have less than 1 cup now. In a large bowl, whisk together the oil, yogurt, sugar, vanilla, and soy milk until all lumps are gone. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, and black pepper into the wet ingredients and stir until the large lumps are gone (don’t overmix). Fill the cupcake liners and bake about 20-22 minutes until a sharp knife inserted comes out clean. When the cupcake are cool, sift the topping onto them.

Chocolate Almond Midnight (from The Millennium Cookbook)

Cashew Crust:

1/3 cup unsalted cashew nuts

3 Tbsp sucanat

3 Tbsp canola oil

½ tsp vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

Chocolate Mousse:

2 cups (16 oz) chocolate chips

24.6 oz (2 boxes) extra-firm silken tofu (Mori-Nu)

¾ cup sucanat

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp sea salt

Maple Almond Praline:

¼ cup maple syrup

1 cup slivered almonds

Raspberry Sauce:

2 cups fresh or 10 oz frozen raspberries, thawed

¼ cup sucanat

fresh mint leaves

First, preheat the oven to 350F, and oil a 8-inch round springform pan. In a food processor, grind the cashews to a fine meal. Add sucanat, oil, and vanilla, and process again until combined. In a small bowl, mix the flour and salt together, then add the cashew mixture and mix it in (start with a spatula, end with your hands). Press the crust into the pan, and bake 20-25 minutes, or until light brown and dry.

While the crust is baking, melt the chocolate chips (in a double boiler or a microwave). In a blender, combine the tofu, sucanat, vanilla, and salt. Blend until well mixed, then add melted chocolate and blend for 2 minutes, or until very smooth. Once the crust is done, lightly oil the sides of the pan and pour the mousse in. Bake for 35 minutes at 350F, then let cool for 10 minutes, then run a paring knife around the inside of the pan (to prevent sticking). Let the mousse cool to the touch, then refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Unmold just before serving.

While the mousse is baking, bring the maple syrup to a boil in a saucepan, boil for a minute, then ad almonds and stir constantly until the syrup has completely crystallized and almonds appear dry. Pour the almonds on a baking sheet and let cool.

Next, blend the raspberries and sucanat until smooth, and strain the seeds out. Depending on the mesh size of your strainer, you may have to strain several times to get all/most of the seeds out.

To serve, cut the mousse into 12 pieces. For each slice, pool raspberry sauce on a plate, top with a slice of mousse, then top with praline and mint cut into fine chiffonade (very thin strips). Optionally top w/ shavings of a dark chocolate bar.

Chocolate chip cookies

2¼ cups flour (you can use whole wheat pastry flour for half)

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 c margarine

¾ cup brown sugar, packed

2 tsp vanilla

Equivalent of 3 eggs

½ bag chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375°. Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Combine wet ingredients, and add dry ingredients 1/3 at a time. Add chocolate chips, and bake on ungreased sheets 9-11 minutes.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups (from Sarah)

½ cup margarine

¾ cup peanut butter (natural, unsalted, unsugared)

¾ cup graham wafer crumbs

¼ cup dry sweetener

2 cups chocolate chips

½ cup soy milk

12 cupcake paper liners

Line the cupcake pan with the cupcake paper liners. Place 1 cup of chocolate chips in a glass measuring cup with ¼ cup of the soymilk, and put in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, each time stirring the chips in between, until its all melted (gradually decrease the time to 20 and then 10 and then 5 seconds as it gets more melty, as to not overcook). Pour evenly into the 12 cupcake liners. Place cupcake pan with chocolate in the freezer while you do the next part.

Put another cup of chocolate chips with ¼ cup soymilk in your glass measuring cup and begin the 30 seconds at a time microwaving and mixing of the chips, until mostly melted, but not totally. Then take a break from that for a bit and let it sit. In a small saucepan on medium heat, melt the margarine. Once liquid, stir in peanut butter, graham crumbs, and sweetener until well incorporated. Check on the chocolate already in the fridge. Once it’s hard enough to not let the graham mixture sink down into it (doesn’t have to be completely rock solid for this), spoon 2 tablespoons of the peanut/graham mixture into each muffin liner. Now put the glass measure cup with mostly melted chips in for its last microwavings, and once totally melted, pour evenly over the 12, and place in the fridge for 6-8 hours before serving, or in the freezer for less time if you are impatient like me (Sarah).

Coconut Puffs (from Mary Brewster, adapted by Elizabeth Fisher)

½ cup (1 stick) softened margarine

2 Tbsp sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup toasted coconut

1 cup cake flour

Preheat over to 300F. Cream together the margarine and sugar, then add the vanilla, coconut and flour. Roll into small balls, and place on a greased cookie sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes (they should be slightly crunchy), and roll them in powdered sugar. Makes about 15.

Coconut Rice (from the Joy of Cooking)

1 cup Jasmine rice

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

¼ tsp salt

thin slice ginger

1/3 cup toasted coconut

Add all ingredients except toasted coconut to rice cooker, once rice is done add toasted coconut and serve. Delicious and easy.

Egg Replacer:

For one egg, grind 1 Tbsp whole flax seeds (or use 1.5 Tbsp pre-ground flax, it gets bigger after grinding), and add to 3 Tbsp water, and mix well with a fork until thick. Flax provides the most egg-like texture, and the most nutrition, but does have a slight nutty flavor you may not want in some desserts.

Alternatively, buy Ener-G egg replacer, which is a powder that just acts as a thickener. Use ½ Tbsp egg replacer plus 1 Tbsp water to make 1 “egg”

Fruit Crisp (from The Millennium Cookbook)

Oat Topping:

2 cups rolled oats

2 Tbsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup maple syrup

Filling:

8 cups berries and or cubed seasonal fruit (apple/raspberry works well)

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground nutmeg

¾ cup maple syrup

2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and minced

¼ cup fresh squeezed lemon juice

2 Tbsp arrowroot (a thickener)

Preheat the oven to 350F, and combine the oats, cinnamon, and sea salt it a bowl. Stir until combined, then add the syrup. Spread the oats on a baking sheet and toast for 10 minutes, or until they appear dry. Let the topping cool, but leave the oven at 350. In a large bowl, combine the berries and fruit, and add the rest of the ingredients except for the arrowroot. Combine 1/3 of the mixture with the arrowroot in a blender and blend until smooth, and mix with the rest of the fruit. Pour the fruit into a 9X9 baking pan and bake for about 35 minutes, or until the mixture starts to bubble and has thickened. Remove from the oven, add the oat topping, and bake for 5 more minutes. Let it cool a bit before serving. Delicious with vanilla Soy Delicious.

German Chocolate Cake (from The Chicago Diner Cookbook)

Cake topping:

¼ cup soy margarine

½ cup raw sugar

½ cup barley malt

1 cup coconut

2/3 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1 tsp vanilla

1 recipe “super-moist chocolate cake”

Bake chocolate cake. While it’s baking, place margarine, sugar, and barley malt in a saucepan and melt. Simmer 2 minutes and remove from the heat. Add the reaming ingredients and stir well.

Ginger Cake (from The Joy of Cooking)

1½ cups flour (2¼)

1 tsp baking soda (1½)

¼ tsp salt (3/8)

½ cup packed brown sugar (¾)

¼ cup molasses (6 Tbsp)

¼ cup honey or molasses (6 Tbsp)

equivalent of 1 egg=1½ tsp egg replacer+1 Tbsp water (1½ “eggs”)

½ cup minced fresh ginger (¾ cup)

8 Tbsp (=1 stick) margarine (12 Tbsp)

½ cup water (¾ cup)

Preheat oven to 350F. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together, set aside. Mix the brown sugar, molasses, honey, and “egg” together, then add the ginger. Melt the margarine and water in a saucepan, and mix into the molasses mixture. Stir in the flour mixture until just smooth. Scrape the batter into a greased and floured 9X9 pan (if you want to use a 9X13 pan, use the ingredients in parentheses). Bake until center is fully cooked, 25-30 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then slide a knife around the edges to detach it from the pan.

Ginger Snaps (from The Joy of Cooking)

2 Tbsp (1½ sticks) softened soy margarine

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar

equivalent of 2 eggs (1 Tbsp egg replacer and 2 Tbsp water)

½ cup dark molasses

1 Tbsp fresh lemon or lime juice (more is better)

3¾ cups flour

½ tsp baking soda

1½ tsp baking powder

4 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp salt

Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add the egg replacer, molasses, and juice, and beat well. In a separate bowl, mix the remaining ingredients together, then slowly add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients while mixing. Put on greased cookie sheets in 1 inch balls, and flatten slightly. Bake at 350 (preheated) for about 8-10 minutes for softer cookies and 10-15 for crunchy ones. The cookies will flatten and develop cracks while baking.

Gingerbread w/ Blood Orange Sauce (from The Voluptuous Vegan)

Gingerbread:

1 cup plus 2 tsp whole-wheat pastry flour

1 cup white flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 Tbsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground cloves

¼ tsp cinnamon

½ cup canola oil

1 cup maple syrup

½ cup molasses

1 cup plain soy milk

1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 Tbsp vanilla extract

Blood Orange Sauce:

1½ cups plus 2 Tbsp orange juice, preferably from blood oranges

1 2-inch piece of ginger, unpeeled and cut into three slices

2 Tbsp sucanat or natural sugar

1 heaping Tbsp arrowroot

1 tsp orange zest

2 Tbsp ginger juice (made by grating 2 inch peeled ginger, and squeezing)

Preheat over to 350^o, and oil a 9 inch cake pan. Mix the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and spices. In another bowl, combine the other ingredients. Put them in a blender and mix until thoroughly combined/emulsified. Pour wet ingredients into dry ones, whisking together just until the liquid ingredients are absorbed. The batter will be very wet. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake on the middle rack of the oven for about 55 minutes, until the cake is springy to the touch and the center is no longer liquid. While baking, start making the sauce by heating 1½ cups of the orange juice with sliced ginger and sugar. Dissolve the arrowroot and remaining 2 Tbsp orange juice into a slurry, and stir into the OJ when it starts boiling. Stir continuously, and turn off heat when bubbles start to appear. Stir in ginger juice and orange zest, and remove ginger slices. Serve the cake warm on a pool of the sauce.

Jumble Cookies - roughly three dozen (from Jon)

1 cup (2 sticks) softened soy margarine

1 cup brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

equivalent of 2 eggs (1 Tbsp egg replacer and 2 Tbsp water)

1 Tbsp vanilla extract

2 tsp almond extract

2¼ cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

1 cup dried fruit (cranberries, cherries, or currants work)

1½ cups granola (preferably tasty granola like raspberry)

1 cup chocolate chips

½ cup nuts (almonds or walnuts or both)

Cocoa powder to taste

Cream together the margarine and sugars. Add the egg replacer and extracts, and beat well. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt together, then add to the wet ingredients 1/3 at a time while mixing. After that, mix in the dried fruit, granola, chocolate chips, nuts, and chocolate powder (all of which are optional). The amounts of all this stuff should be varied according to individual taste; these measurements are just loose suggestions. Put on greased cookie sheet, and bake at 350 (preheated) until done, about 10 minutes cooking times vary quite a bit depending on individual ovens and how well done you like your cookies. When you take them out they should still look undercooked if you want soft cookies.

Lemon "Cheesecake" (from Vegetarian Time Thanksgiving Cookbook)

Crust:

2 cups Graham cracker crumbs

¼ cup Maple syrup

¼ tsp Almond extract

Filling:

1 lb firm silken tofu

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp tahini or almond butter

½ tsp salt (optional)

1-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

½ tsp lemon zest

½ tsp almond extract

2 Tbsp cornstarch dissolved in 2 Tbsp rice or soy milk

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, mix the crust ingredients until crumbs are moistened. Pour into a lightly greased 9" pie plate and press mixture into plate to form crust. Bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling. Blend all filling ingredients together in a food processor or blender until smooth (about 30 secs). Pour filling into crust. Bake until top of pie is slightly browned (about 30 mins). Cool and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled and firm (about 2 hours). Not much like real cheesecake.

Mojito Cupcakes

Modified by Jon from “Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World” and http://veganyumyum.com/2007/05/mojito-cupcakes/

Cupcakes:

1 cup soy milk

½ bunch fresh spearmint

2 tsp dark rum (I use Barbancourt)

2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice (from ~ 1 lime)

1/3 cup canola oil

¾ cup sugar

Zest from 1 lime, minced

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp cornstarch

¾ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp salt

Frosting:

1/4 cup nonhydrogenated margarine (I use Earth Balance)

1/4 cup nonhydrogenated shortening (I use Whole Foods brand)

2 2/3 cups confectioner’s sugar (you may need more)

2 Tbsp + 1 tsp dark rum

2 ¼ tsp lime juice

12 fresh mint leaves for garnish

Optional candied lime peel for garnish

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a 12-cupcake pan with liners (or lightly oil them). Heat the soymilk and spearmint over medium-high in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, turn off heat, and let stand for 5 minutes. Remove the spearmint, pour the soymilk into a liquid measuring cup, and add additional soy milk if necessary to bring the volume up to 1 cup (some soymilk may evaporate when heating). Add the rum and lime juice, and set aside for a few minutes until the lime juice curdles the soy milk. In a bowl, cream together the oil, sugar, and soymilk. In a second bowl, sift together the lime zest, flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and mix well (I add the ingredients through a strainer instead of a sifter). Add the dry ingredients to the wet ones, stirring as you go until no large lumps remain (but don’t overmix). Fill cupcake liners 2/3 full and bake 20-22 minutes until done (set in the center). Let cool completely before frosting.

For the frosting, beat the shortening and margarine together until well combined and fluffy. Add the sugar and beat well until thoroughly combined (if too dry, start adding the rum and lime juice, but don’t add liquid all at once or it will splash). Add the rum and lime juice and beat a few more minutes. If too runny, add more powdered sugar. Add to the cooled cupcakes and garnish with a fresh mint leaf (add the mint leaves right before serving so they don’t wilt). If you don’t serve right away, refrigerate and just before serving top with a few drops of rum.

Pecan-bourbon pie

Crust:

2 ¼ cup flour

1 tsp salt

¾ cup + 2 Tbsp frozen shortening

⅓ cup ice cold water

Filling:

¾ cup pecan halves

¼ cup chopped pecans

½ cup maple syrup

½ cup dark corn syrup

2 Tbsp melted margarine

2 Tbsp bourbon (I use Bib & Tucker)

1 tsp vanilla

¼ tsp salt

Bob’s red mill egg replacer (equivalent of 2 eggs, but minus 1 Tbsp water)

Optional Chocolate drizzle:

Carefully melt ½ cup chocolate chips w/ 1 tsp margarine in microwave

Mix flour and salt, add cubed shortening. Cut with a pastry blender into coarse crumbs. Add cold water 1 Tbsp at a time and blend with a fork until the dough just holds together and is no longer crumbly. Roll chilled dough to 1/8th” and line pie dish. Mix all filling ingredients except ¾ cup pecans, add to pie crust, and artfully arrange pecans. Bake at 350F for 45 minutes. Top lightly with chocolate drizzle (you can put it in a plastic bag, cut off a tiny corner, and lightly squeeze.

Pumpkin pie (from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken)

Filling:

14 oz can pumpkin purée

¾ cup full-fat coconut milk

½ cup brown sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

Preheat over to 350F, blend filling ingredients together and pour into your favorite 9” pie shell recipe. Use a spatula to even out the top and bake for 60 minutes. When done the edges will be slightly cracked and the middle will still look wobbly. Let cool, and then chill uncovered in the fridge for a minimum of 4 hours or overnight until completely set.

Pine Nut and Anise Cake with Blood Orange Compote (from The Millennium Cookbook)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tsp baking powder

¾ tsp baking soda

1/8 tsp salt

¾ cup maple syrup

1 cup soy milk

½ cup canola oil

2½ oz silken tofu (Mori-Nu extra firm)

1 Tbsp anise extract

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp fresh lemon juice

½ cup pine nuts, toasted (in a skillet over medium heat)

Compote:

8 blood oranges (or Valencia if off-season)

½ cup sucanat

1 Tbsp arrowroot dissolved in ¼-¾ cup cold water

Preheat the oven to 250F, and lightly oil a 8 or 10 inch spring form pan. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a large bowl and stir until well mixed. In a blender, combine the maple syrup, soy milk, oil, anise and vanilla extracts, lemon juice, and tofu. Purée until smooth. Pour the wet mixture into the dry mixture, and mix well. Fold in the pine nuts. Pour into the pan, and bake 55-65 minutes, until cake is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool a bit, the remove it from the pan. While the cake is baking, juice 4 of the oranges, and peel the remaining 4 and cut them into small segments. In a small saucepan, combine juice and sucanat, and heat to a simmer. Add arrowroot and water mixture to the pan, and stir until it becomes translucent. Remove from heat and let cool, then stir in the segments. To serve, heat the compote until warm, and reheat the cake a bit in a toaster oven.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes:

Cupcakes:

1 cup canned pumpkin

1/3 cup oil

1 cup sugar

¼ cup soy milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 ¼ cups flour

½ tsp baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp salt

½ cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350F, and put cupcake liners in a 12-cupcake pan. In a medium bowl, mix the pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk, and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together gently with a fork, taking care not to overmix. Once well combined, fold in the chocolate chips. Fill liners about 2/3 full, bake for 22-24 minutes, and transfer to a wire rack to cool. Make some cinnamon icing (it should be kind of like a glaze, so use more soy milk than you would for a standard buttercream) and top the cupcakes once cooled.

Puppy Chow

9 cups rice chex

½ cup peanut butter

½ bag semi-sweet chocolate chips

¼ cup margarine

1½ cups powdered sugar (or more)

Heat peanut butter, chocolate, and margarine in pan until melted, and pour over rice chex. Stir until rice chex are coated, then dump into a bag or get a tight lid or cover for the bowl, add sugar and shake until coated well. Let cool then place in a sealed container.

Raspberry Bars (from Colleen)

¾ cup dairy-free margarine (I use Earth Balance)
1 cup sugar
Egg replacer, equivalent to 1 egg (you can either use the kind that comes in a box or ground flaxseed, I can provide either)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups + 1 Tbsp flour
½ Tbsp baking powder
1 1/3 cups shredded coconut
1 10 oz jar seedless raspberry preserves

Preheat oven to 350°F. Oil a 9 x 13-inch pan. In a large mixing bowl, mix the margarine, sugar, egg replacer, and vanilla together. In a small mixing bowl, mix the 2 cups flour, baking powder, and shredded coconut together. Slowly add the dry mixture to the wet mixture. Press 2/3 of the dough into the oiled pan, and spread the preserves on top of it. Crumble the remaining dough with a fork. You may need to sprinkle the dough with flour so that small crumbs form. Sprinkle the crumbs on top of the preserves. Bake 35-40 minutes until the edges are slightly browned.

Spicy Cinnamon Pecans

2 cups pecans

2 Tbsp margarine

2 Tbsp sugar

1/8 tsp salt

½ tsp cayenne pepper

¾ tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325F. Melt margarine and combine all ingredients. Spread them on a baking sheet and bake for about 15 minutes (stirring them once midway through).

Sugar Cookies

1 cup margarine
2/3 cup white sugar
equivalent of 1 egg (flax or egg replacer)
1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp almond extract
2 - 2 1/4 cups sifted unbleached flour
½ tsp salt

Preheat oven to 350^oF Combine margarine and sugar and extracts, and mix very well. Beat the egg replacer in, but do not overmix. Combine the flour and salt, and add to the margarine mixture, mixing only enough to get the flour mixed in. Put flour on your rolling pin and cutting board, roll them out, and use cookie cutters or a knife to make whatever shapes you want. Rather than mixing all the in-between pieces back together for more nicely-shaped ones, you can just bake them as is (“silly shapes”) so they don’t get tough from remixing and rolling. You can sprinkle with sugar, or add red-hots if you like. Put on a lightly oiled baking sheet and bake ~8-10 minutes until they are just starting to turn light golden brown. Put the hot cookies on paper towels to cool, and do not put them away until they are completely cool and crisp. Add frosting or other toppings if desired.

Super-Moist Chocolate Cake

2¼ cup all-purpose flour

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1½ cup sugar

¾ tsp salt

1½ tsp baking soda

6 Tbsp oil (1/4 c + 2 Tbsp)

1½ Tbsp white (or rice) vinegar

2 tsp vanilla

1½ cup cold water

Optional: 1 cup chocolate chips (mini are best)

Ganache: 1 cup chocolate chips, 2 Tbsp nondairy milk, 2 tsp cocoa powder, & flavor of choice

Preheat over to 350°F, and lightly oil a 9"x13" pan. Combine dry ingredients and mix them thoroughly. Make three wells in the dry mixture and add the oil to one, the vinegar to another and the vanilla to the third. Pour the cold water over the whole thing and mix well to eliminate all lumps. If using chocolate chips, add now. Immediately pour batter into the pan and bake for about 30 minutes. Cake is done when center is set (insert a knife to test, it should be dry). For ganache melt 1 cup chocolate chips in a bowl in the microwave (or a saucepan) with the nondairy milk, then add cocoa powder and flavoring of choice. Favorites include ½ tsp of either almond or peppermint extract, or 1 tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp cayenne pepper, or shredded coconut with chopped walnuts.

White Vegan Cake

1½ cups flour

¾ cup sugar

2 tsp baking powder

¼ tsp salt

¾ cup soy milk or other acceptable 'milk'

2 tsp vanilla

Egg replacer equivalent to 1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a cake pan. In large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Combine remaining ingredients, and add to flour mixture. Beat for 2 minutes. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out dry. Makes one 9X13 cake.

White Vegan Frosting

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp almond extract

Soy milk to make the liquid level equal to ½ cup

1 cup nonhydrogenated shortening

1 2lb. bag powdered sugar

In a liquid measuring cup, add the first four ingredients. Mix in the powdered sugar and mix well.