Another recipe from Food Matters. This is a different kind of stir-fry in that it doesn’t use soy sauce. I ate it with some whole wheat pasta spirals today for a light lunch.

Stir-Fried Beans with Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 lb broccoli, cut into florets

3 Tbs olive oil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup chopped onions

1 Tbs minced garlic

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes

1/2 cup low sodium vegetable stock

1 cup edamame, fresh or thawed frozen

Directions:

Put the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. when the oil is hot, ass the broccoli, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until coated in oil and just beginning to soften- about 1-2 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook for another minute or two. Add the cumin and tomatoes and give a good stir, then add the remaining ingredients. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes plump up a bit, the liquid has reduced and the vegetables are crisp-tender- about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

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If I had a quarter for every time someone asks “but where do you get your protein?”, I would be a filthy rich broad. Most people don’t even realize that you can get protein from other sources. Some GREAT sources of protein are: sprouts, spinach, kale, broccoli, parsley, quinoa, couscous barley and other whole grains, hemp seeds, almonds, all types of beans, peas, peanut butter, pumpkin seeds, etc. It hard NOT to get enough protein with so many options- and I didn’t even include all the soy sources of protein!

1/4 of this recipe provides almost 10 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber. The % of the RDA for various vitamins and minerals are as follows: Vitamin A-37%, Vitamin B-6 12%, Vitamin C- 103%, Calcium-8%, Folate-26%, Iron- 9%, etc..Ok, enough with the nutrition blab. If you’ve tried any of the recipes I’ve posted and liked them, leave me a comment and let me know!

Three out of three recipes I’ve made from Mark Bitmann’s book have been absolutely AMAZING. I recommend this book not only for the content in the first half, but the incredible recipes in the second half! This time I modified his eggplant and grain torta because I had several butternut squash that had been sitting around for quite some time. The girls helped me make this one for a dinner party tonight and while it is pretty easy to make it is a definitely gift of love- taking nearly 2 hours to complete. But so worth it.

Savory Vegetable and Quinoa Torta

Ingredients:

2 medium yellow onions, halved and thinly sliced

About 3/4 cup olive oil

2 medium butternut squash, peeled, cut crosswise into thin slices

4 medium zucchinis, cut into slices 1/4 inch thick

Salt

Freshly ground black pepper

4 cups cooked quinoa

fresh sage, chopped

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the onions in a large dry skillet with a lid over medium heat. Cover and cook, stirring infrequently, until the onions are dry and almost sticking to the pan, about 20 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions brown, another 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside,

2. Meanwhile, smear 2 (or more) baking sheets with 2 tablespoons oil each. Lay the squash on one sheet and the zucchini on the other in a single layer: (You may need to work in batches, cooking the squash on the 2 baking sheets, then cooking the zucchini.) Sprinkle with some salt and pepper and drizzle or brush each with another couple tablespoons of oil. Roast until the squash and zucchini are soft. (about 10-1 minutes)

3. Coat the bottom and inside the ring of an 8- or 9-inch springform pan with some oil. Press half of the cooked grains into the bottom of the pan to form an even crust, about 1/2 inch thick, covering the bottom completely. Layer a third of the squash slices on top of the grain crust, then layer half the zucchini, half of the caramelized onions, and some of the sage, sprinkling each layer with a bit of salt and pepper; repeat the layers, pressing down gently on each one, and ending with squash. Spread the remaining grain on top and press with a spatula or spoon to make the torta as compact as possible.

4. Put the torta in the oven and cook about 30 minutes. Let sit for about 5 minutes before carefully removing the outer ring of the pan. Then let cool for another 10 minutes before cutting into wedges. Garnish with the remaining sage and serve.

Yet another recipe from Mark Bittman’s book “Food Matters”. This one may very well be one of my new favorite soups- right up there by taco soup, only healthier. Next time I will try substituting sweet potatoes for the red potatoes I used to make it even more nutrient rich! I ate this with a slice of toasted Ezekial bread spread with Earth Balance. Enjoy my modified version of his recipe.

Curried Lentil and Potato Soup

Ingredients

2 tbsp peanut or grapeseed oil

1 medium onion, roughly chopped

2-3 gloves minced garlic

1 tbsp minced peeled fresh ginger

salt and freshly ground pepper

1- 1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 (plus a little) turmeric

a shake of red pepper flakes

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp cardamom

several shakes of garam masala (I added this because I needed a little extra flavor and wasn’t sure which of the spices I had already used to use)

1 cup dried lentils

2 medium tomatoes (or 4 canned tomatoes)

1 quart vegetable stock (I may have used slightly less)

1 can coconut milk

6 or so small/medium red potatoes

2 small zucchini, roughly chopped

1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro

1. Put the oil in a deep skillet or medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and transluscent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for another minutes, Sprinkle with salt and stir in the spices. Cook, stirring frequently, until darkened and fragrant, about another minutes or two.

2. Stir in the tomatoes and lentils, then add the stock and coconut milk. Bring to a boil; partially cover, and turn the heat down to medium low so that the soup bubbles gently.

3. Cook, stirring occaisionally, until the lentils are just becoming tender; stir in the potatoes and more stock or water if needed. Cover again and cook for about 10 minutes, then stir in the remaining vegetables, adding a little more stock if needed to keep everything brothy. Cover one more time and cook until the potatoes and vegetables are all tender, another 5-10 minutes. Stir in the cilantro, taste and adjust the seasoning and serve.

Can chicken pot pie still be a comfort food if you remove the chicken AND the flakey, buttery crust? You bet! (Not that one can’t make a yummy flakey, buttery vegan crust) The other recipe I tried tonight from Mark Bittman’s book was a chicken “not” pie. All I did was remove the chicken (though if you wanted to keep it meat free and add more protein you could always add some seitan)- added a couple extra hunks of potato and some corn and I had amazingly filling comfort food. If you have never cooked with leeks before, you are missing out. Our whole apartment smelled amazing while they were cooking down and I’m sure it made all the neighbors’ stomachs rumble.

“This one-pot version includes lots of creamy potatoes, all the familiar vegetables, and a couple of surprises to boot,” Bittman writes. “Frozen peas are a good substitute when fresh peas aren’t available; but if asparagus is out of season, try ribbons of cabbage or chard. The naturally thickened sauce is brothy enough to enjoy with a little whole grain bread or noodles, or over brown rice if you still need a carb fix. You don’t even really need a salad but it can’t hurt.”

Vegetable “Not” Pie

Ingredients:

1/4 cup olive oil

2 leeks, washed well and diced, including some of the green part

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 cups reduced sodium, no MSG added vegetable stock

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or tarragon leaves or a good pinch dried thyme or tarragon

2 or 3 large all-purpose potatoes (like redskin or Yukon Gold), peeled if you like and cut into 1-inch cubes

2 medium carrots or parsnips, cut into coins

1/2 pound sugar snap peas or snow peas, trimmed and strings removed if necessary; or 1 cup shell peas (frozen are fine)

1/2 pound asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish (optional)

Directions:

Put half of oil in a large skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the leeks, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and herb; bring to a boil, and let bubble for a minute or two. Turn the heat to medium-low, cover and summer 5-6 minutes.

Add the potatoes and bring to a boil; reduce the heat so the liquid bubbles enthusiastically; and cook until the potatoes are almost tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the carrots or parsnips and cook for another couple of minutes. By now the liquid should be thickening; if not, turn the heat up and cook another couple of minutes, stirring to prevent the vegetables from sticking. Add the remaining oil gradually, stirring vigorously with the back of a spoon as you do so.

Add the peas and asparagus to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are brightly colored and just tender, about 3 minutes. When warmed through, taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve in shallow bowls, garnished with the parsley.

This weekend, I made a birthday dinner for a very close friend consisting of naan, dal makhani and kheer. The kheer was, by far, our favorite part. I ate some for breakfast, even!

Kheer is a traditional South Asian/Indian sweet dish, made by boiling rice or broken wheat with milk and sugar, and flavored with cardamom, raisins, saffron, pistachios or almonds. Making this dish vegan was easy- substitute the milk or cream for almond milk. I actually like the almond milk version better than the milk versions I’ve had. Using vanilla almond milk adds a really nice flavor.

Almond Milk Kheer

Ingredients:

1 cup basmati rice

5-6 cups vanilla almond milk

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp cardamom powder

1/2 cup almonds and pistachios chopped

Directions:

Heat the almond milk over medium heat until it boils, being careful not to scorch it. Once the almond milk boils, add the rice and sugar, return to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. You want the rice to be completely soft and the almond milk to have thickened some- though not too much because it will thicken as it stands. Stir in cinnamon and cardamom while still hot.

Let sit at room temperature until it cools some, then refrigerate until chilled. Top with chopped nuts and enjoy!

Vanilla Almond French Toast

Ingredients

14-oz container silken tofu, drained

1/2 cup vanilla almond milk

1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

6 Tbs almond butter

Fresh loaf of French bread (or other thick, slightly  more dense bread)

Maple syrup Balance

Earth Balance

Berries

Directions

Heat a large skillet on medium heat and spray with non-stick spray.

In a food processor or blender, combine tofu, milk, vanilla, and almond butter until smooth. Pour the mixture into a wide bowl or container. Cut bread into thick slices. Once the skillet is hot, dip both sides of each bread slice into the batter and fry on the skillet. Spray pan in between batches to prevent sticking.

The toast tastes best with a little Earth Balance and heated maple syrup on each slice. Top with fresh berries.

I don’t recommend using regular sliced bread for this recipe. I used both kinds and the thicker bread turned out much better than the thin.

Comfort food at its finest. There is nothing like a good, hot dish of curry and rice.

Butternut Squash Curry

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups brown basmati rice

2 1/2 cups water

3/4 tsp fine sea salt, divided

2 Tbs refined coconut oil (I ended up using EVOO)

1 onion, cut into 3/4-in chunks

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 can diced tomatoes

1-1 1/2 cups vegetable stock

1tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander (I didn’t have ground, so i used crushed whole seeds)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp cayenne

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp cardamon

1 lb red potatoes cut into 3/4 inch chunks

3 cups (or so) of chopped butternut squash

1 1/2 Tbs lemon juice

1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro or Italian parsley

Directions:

In a 2-quart saucepan over high heat, combine the rice, water and 1/4 tsp of the salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the rice stand, covered, at least 10 min.

While the rice is standing, make the curry: Heat the coconut oil in 10-12 inch skillet over medium high. Add the the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until almost tender, about 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the tomatoes, stock, spices and the rest of the salt. Bring to a boil and add the potatoes and squash. Return to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook- stirring occasionally until the potato and squash are tender- about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lemon juice.

Serve over rice sprinkled with cilantro or parsley