Paprika Cauliflower and Sweet Potato Soup

I have come to the conclusion that my favorite way to eat cauliflower is when it’s paired with potatoes. AND when it’s roasted. That explains why I binged on this soup as soon as it was done churning in the blender. Paprika is one spice I haven’t gotten used to cooking with yet, but I have to say, that it gave this soup the most wonderful flavor that really complimented the vegetables extremely well.

1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

3 small sweet potatoes cubed (about 4 cups)

6 cups vegetable broth

1 cup chopped onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

Garnish with fresh cilantro

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees
• Toss all ingredients EXCEPT vegetable broth together in a large bowl
• Transfer to a baking sheet and roast at 450 degrees for 15 minutes
• Turn vegetables over and roast for another 10 minutes
• Remove from oven and pour in a large saucepan
• Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil
• Once it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes
• Pour soup in a blender in batches and blend until creamy

 

 

Baked Eggplant & Chard Polenta Lasagna

FOR THE FILLING

1 Italian eggplant, sliced thin

4 cups chard, chopped

1 cup Daiya mozzarella

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

1 cup onions, sliced

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/4 cup vegan “egg”

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

FOR THE POLENTA

3 cups vegetable broth

3 cups water

1 3/4 cups organic cornmeal

1 tbsp almond milk

1 tsp sea salt

Olive oil for greasing

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• For the polenta, bring water and vegetable broth to a boil
• Once boiling, add salt and cornmeal and reduce to a simmer
• Whisk continuously for about 15 minutes, until the cornmeal is well mixed
• Remove from heat and whisk in almond milk
• Spread polenta thin onto greased baking sheet until about 1/4 inch thick
• Set in refrigerator to set for about 30 minutes
• While it cools, dredge eggplant slices through flaxseed egg
• Mix together flour and breadcrumbs and then coat slices with it
• Place slices on a baking sheet, drizzle with 1 tbsp olive oil and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, turning half way through
• Then, cook garlic and onion in 2 tbsp oil in a frying pan over medium heat, stirring frewquently for about 5 minutes
• Add chard and continue to stir for 5 more minutes, until chard is wilted
• Cut polenta sheet in half and place onto a greased 8 X 8 baking pan
• Layer chard and onions ontop of that, then layer with sauce
• Add eggplant slices ontop of that, then top with Daiya
• Place the other half of the polenta sheet ontop and bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes

 

 

 

Lemon & Chia Seed Blueberry Muffins

The absolute fluffiness of these scrumptious muffins absolutely blew my mind.

Prior to my skills as a cook, I was a pretty decent baker. Since becoming vegetarian and dedicating all my time to creating meals, I let my baking interested slide. Aside from granola, pancakes and French Toast, I hardly do any pastry concocting. I made these muffins for my annual breakfast at my grandmothers, since I think she still doesn’t quite understand what vegan is. I think they’re just perfect and I used some honey and our maple coconut cream for topping on them, which made them even more divine.

*Makes about 16 muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached all-purpose flour

1 2/3 cup frozen wild blueberries, thawed (fresh is fine too, I just think frozen are sweeter)

1 cup almond milk

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup water

1/4 cup pure honey

3 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 tsp lemon zest

1 tsp pure vanilla

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp sea salt

Coconut oil for lining

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Soak chia seeds in water for 10-15 minutes
• Meanwhile, mix together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt
• In another bowl, stir together almond milk, sugar, honey, lemon juice, lemon zest and vanilla
• Add dry mix to wet mix, 1 cup at a time, and stir together until everything is well blended
• Drain water from chia seeds and add them, and the blueberries to batter and mix well
• Grease cupcake tins with coconut oil, then spoon muffin batter into tins
• Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes

Sweet Potato & Date Pancakes

Pretty much our ONLY option for vegan breakfasts now are:

A. Being productive on the weekends and cooking for ourselves

B. Being lazy and hungover and going to The Red Lentil instead

Jim will still eat eggs and cheese for the most part, but the strict vegan options for me at The Lentil are generally anything tofu-based (which I don’t touch), vegan French Toast (which is UNREAL) and the vegan pancakes (also UNREAL). The French Toast really seems to weigh me down for the rest of the day so I usually opt for their sweet potato and date pancakes. We didn’t venture out this weekend for breakfast, so instead I tried to recreate these pancakes on my own. The flavor was great, but I did discover that using coconut milk rather than almond or a light milk, makes for a less-fluffy pancake. So make sure to use a thinner liquid so the cakes aren’t so dense.

1 1/2 cups shredded sweet potato

1 1/2 cups almond milk

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup organic unbleached flour

1/2 cup water

6 pitted dates

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp pure vanilla

Dash of sea salt

Coconut oil for baking

• In a small frying pan over medium heat, melt a little coconut oil
• Add shredded sweet potatoes and cook for about 5-7 minutes or until softened
• Then, add dates and water to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until softened
• Drain dates, then put into blender
• Add flours, almond milk, dates,  brown sugar, vanilla and salt to the blender and pulse until the mixture is smooth and creamy
• Pour into mixing bowl and then add baking soda and sweet potatoes and stir together well
• Put some more coconut oil into a large frying pan over medium heat
• Once melted, pour batter into pan and cook on each side for about 5 minutes

Asparagus & Broccolini Pasta Salad with Honey Dijon Sauce

80 degree weather in Boston. In MARCH.

This unseasonable miracle has brought my favoritest spring and summer veggies out of their winter hibernation extra early-which makes me extra happy. $4 for a bunch of organic asparagus at Whole Foods (rare in colder months, and if it exists it’s usually $6 or $7) and broccolini, also at a ridiculously low price made me crave one thing-pasta salad. And since these veggies were super fresh, it made them easier to eat a little bit on the raw-er side, which pleases both Jim and I. Since I’m not a huge fan of the fake mayo, and my recipes for it never come out great, I went with a honey mustard sauce for the salad instead, which gives it a perfect sweet flavor that balances out the bitterness of some of the greens. This weather and this dish make me one happy girl 🙂

1 lb whole wheat pasta of your choice (I like elbows or shells), cooked

1 bunch asparagus, sliced thin

1 bunch broccolini, sliced into florets

2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced (about 2 cups)

3/4 cup red onion, diced

1/2 cup shredded carrot

1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp olive oil

HONEY DIJON SAUCE

1/3 cup olive oil

4 tbsp Dijon mustard

3 tbsp pure honey

3 tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp white pepper

• In a frying pan over medium heat, cook garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes
• Add zucchini and cook for 4 minutes, stirring frequently
• Add broccolini and cook for another 2 minutes, and keep stirring
• Finally, add asparagus and cook for a few more minutes, until all vegetables are fully softened
• Remove from heat and toss with pasta, carrots, onions and parsley
• Whisk together all ingredients for sauce and then pour over pasta mix

Black Bean & Mango Salsa

I had a jewelry party yesterday and completely forgot to make a vegan snack for Arikka and I, as I’m always skeptical as to what munchies will be offered practically anywhere I go. I had lots of black beans already cooked, so I decided to grab a mango and whip up this salsa I always see jarred at Trader Joe’s. Everyone seemed to like it and I’ve been snacking on the leftovers ever since.

2 1/2 cups black beans, cooked

1 mango, diced (about 1 cup)

1 Roma tomato, chopped

2/3 cup red onion, chopped

1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup jalapeno, chopped

2 tbsp fresh lime juice

1 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp black pepper

• Toss all ingredients together and you’re done!

Eggplant Meat-Free Balls

Perfect topped with a homemade sauce and some Daiya! Yum!

1 medium-large eggplant, chopped

1 cup yellow onion, chopped

1 1/2 cups whole wheat breadcrumbs

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/4 cup, plus 4 tbsp olive oil

1/3 cup fresh basil, chopped

1/4 cup whole wheat flour for dusting

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp dried oregano

1 cayenne pepper, minced

1 tbsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees
• In a saucepan over medium heat, cook onions, garlic and cayenne pepper in 2 tbsp of olive oil for 5 minutes
• Then, add eggplant, basil, oregano, salt and black pepper and stir together
• Slowly, add 1/4 cup olive oil and continue stirring for 7-8 minutes, cooking until the eggplant is browning and mushy
• Remove from heat, transfer to a mixing bowl and chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes
• After 30 minutes, stir in nutritional yeast and breadcrumbs and then mix everything together (using your hands seems to be the best method to make sure everything is mushy and blended well)
• Form eggplant into golf-ball sized spheres and place onto baking sheets
•  Sprinkle with flour, then drizzle remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil over the balls
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown

Chopped Fiesta Salad with Tequila Lime Dressing

Jim has been addicted to making homemade, fresh lime margaritas since we came home from California. They are delicious, and all they could make me think of is virtually the ONLY vegan-friendly dressing out there other than balsamic or oil and vinegar ones, and that’s the tequila lime dressing at “Margaritas”. I had lots of lettuce and spinach in the fridge, so another day of sickness, and another day of using up whatever I had on hand.

4 cups chopped Romaine (or anything other leafy lettuce)

2 1/2 cups chopped spinach

1 avocado, diced

1 cup organic frozen corn

1/2 cup green onion (or red), diced

1/2 cup red bell pepper, diced

3/4  cup crushed organic tortilla chips

1 cayenne pepper, minced

1 tbsp olive oil

FOR THE DRESSING

1/3 cup minced cilantro

4 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp fresh lime juice

2 tbsp tequila

1 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

• In a frying pan over medium heat, cook cayenne pepper in olive oil for 1 minute, then add corn and cook for 6 minutes, stirring continuously or until the corn starts to brown
• Then, toss all ingredients in a bowl together
• For the dressing, pulse all ingredients EXCEPT oil in a food processor, and add the oil in slowly, through the top

The Best Flaxseed Bread Ever

I’ve been out of work sick for the past day and a half, and I was so annoyed because I didnt;t even have the energy to cook. So there I was watching The Cooking Channel all day and not having the strength to muster up a simple soup. Day 2 of juicing, supplements and ridiculous amounts of water and I was finally up to making something. I bought a huge bag of flaxseed the other day so I decided to put that to good use. This bread, to me, is absolutely perfect. It’s got a nice chewy, moist consistency and the ground flax give it a great texture. Although I’d barely ate anything for 24 hours and I knew consuming any flour wouldn’t help my illness, I couldn’t help but eat roughly 1/3 of this loaf as soon as it was out of the oven. It didn’t cure my sickness, but my tastebuds were in a great mood.

2 cups organic whole wheat flour

1 cup organic unbleached all-purpose flour

1 1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1 3/4 cup warm water

1/3 cup oats

1 package active dry yeast

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp coconut sugar (or any sugar really)

1 tsp sea salt

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Dissolve yeast in warm water- mix and let sit for 5 minutes
• Add sugar, oil, salt, oats, flaxmeal and 1 cup whole wheat flour and mix together
• Add remaining flours 1 cup at a time and mix until everything is absorbed together
• Knead dough for a few minutes until it becomes a solid, hard loaf
• Place in a 9 X 5 greased baking pan and let rise for about 30 minutes (it doesn’t poof very high, just let it set itself)
• Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes

Mexicali Burgers

Unbelievably easy to make and they hold together better then any other burger/pattie we’ve ever made!

2 cups black beans, cooked

1 cup onion, chopped

2/3 cup carrot, diced

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1/4 cup cornmeal

1/4 cup water

2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for frying

1 cayenne pepper, minced

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

Fresh salsa and sliced avocado for topping

• In a frying pan over medium heat, cook the onions and cayenne pepper in olive oil for 10 minutes, stirring continuously
• Add in carrots and cook for 3 more minutes
• Remove from heat and transfer to a large mixing bowl
• Add in beans, cilantro, breadcrumbs, cornmeal, salt and black pepper and mix well
• Then, slowly add in water so the dough gets moist and sticks together
• Form patties, then cook in another frying pan over medium/high heat in olive oil for 5 minutes on each side