Italian Chickpea Pasta

6 cups water
pinch of salt
3 cups pasta of your choice

Bring the water to a boil. Drop in the salt and pasta. Stir once or twice to make sure the pasta doesn't stick to itself. Boil under tender.

1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large handful sundried tomatoes (the slightly soft kind that come in zip-top bags)
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup artichoke hearts, mooshed
1 cup frozen choped kale
2 Tbsp capers
2 healthy splashes white/red wine
1 splash Tobasco sauce

Heat the oil in a largish skillet. Add the garlic and saute for a minute or so, or until fragrant. Add everything else and simmer until most of the wine has evaporated.

Drain the pasta. Return to the pot with a drizzle each of olive oil and lemon juice. Add the topping mixture and stir. Serve immediately!

Lady Cassandra Cookies

1. Make a batch of sugar cookie dough and put it in the fridge to chill for an hour or two. I used this recipe (modified from the back of my flour bag):
   
   1 cup Earth Balance margarine (half a tub)
   1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
   1 tsp vanilla extract
   1/2 tsp almond extract
   1/2 tsp baking soda
   2 Tbsp Tofutti Better Than Cream Cheese
   3 cups unbleached flour
   
   Cream the Earth Balance and sugar until it's light and fluffy. Stir in the vanilla & almond extracts and the cream cheese. Add the flour, forming a slightly sticky dough. Form into a ball or log, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for an hour or two.
2. Get a screen cap of Cassandra. I used the one here:
   http://shillpages.com/dw/story/d9/02/dw200502-047.jpg
3. Open it in Illustrator. Trace around the picture using the pen tool. You should end up with sort of a spiky rectangle. Put a 2px black stroke on it. Size it to roughly 3 inches by 4 inches and print it out.
4. Tape the piece of paper to a flattened cereal box. Cut out a cardboard version of the rectangle with scissors.
5. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease your cookie sheets. Unwrap the cookie dough and place it on a large sheet of waxed paper. Cover with another sheet of waxed paper and roll it out to 1/4 inch thick. If it's gotten too warm, you might want to put it back in the fridge for a few minutes. Cold dough will be easier to work with.
6. Lightly flour the cardboard cutout and place it on top of the dough. Trace around the dough with a sharp knife, then lift up the cut out and place it on the cookie sheet. Leave a few inches between the cookies... they'll spread a little in the oven. Pop into the oven for 8-10 minutes, or until getting light golden brown. Re-roll the remaining dough and stick it back in the fridge while the first batch bakes.
7. Mix together your frosting base:
   
   1 drop red food coloring
   1 drop yellow food coloring
   1 Tbsp maple syrup
   1/2 tsp almond extract
   2 Tbsp vanilla soy milk
   2 cups powdered sugar
   
   Keep adding powdered sugar and soy milk until you get a light peach color and a thick but drippy consistency.
8. Keep rolling, cutting, chilling and baking until your dough is all finished. Once your cookies are cool, dip the tops into the frosting and let the excess drip off. Place them on a sheet of waxed paper.
9. Shake out some chocolate sprinkles. Choosing smaller sprinkles, place the eyes close together a little higher than the halfway mark. Let the cookies dry several hours or overnight.
10. When the cookies are dry, take a red food-safe decorating marker and draw the mouth on below the eyes. Let the mouths dry before transporting.

Your Cassandras are now ready to be moisturized!

Chocolate Dalek (Reprise)

For those of you who came to my Crafty TARDIS panel at Chicago TARDIS this weekend, here's the link to the Chocolate Dalek Cake recipe and photos. I'll have the Cassandra cookies recipe up later today.

* Chocolate Dalek recipe & instructions
* Flickr photoset of the Dalek cake

Here are some of the other web sites we discussed during the panel:

* Doctor Who Scarf
* Scarf patterns from UNIT
* Crafty TARDIS LJ community
* Who Knits LJ community
* Dalek Builder's Guild
* K-9 Builders' Guild
* TARDIS Builders' Guild

Vegan Thanksgiving

Even though we're heading out to Chicago later this afternoon, I got a powerful yearning to make a semi-traditional Thanksgiving lunch:

- mashed potatoes
- kale (from our garden) with garlic & (tempeh) bacon
- wild mushroom strudel
- jellied cranberry sauce
- pumpkin pie

I made the cranberry sauce and the pie last night, but everything else came together relatively quickly late this morning.

Totally delicious, all made from scratch in less than half the time it'd take to roast a turkey, and no tryptophan coma to boot!

***

Mashed Potatoes

4-5 Yukon Gold potatoes, diced
1 cup veggie broth + enough water to cover potatoes
salt & pepper to taste
3-4 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine

Cover the potatoes with veggie broth and water plus a pinch or so of salt. Boil until very tender. Reserve 1 cup of the liquid, then drain potatoes over a colander. Return to the pot with Earth Balance, salt, pepper and a little liquid. Mash until creamy, tasting for seasoning and liquid.

(P.S. The mashed potatoes were especially good when mixed with the kale/bacon mixture. Mmmm....)

Sweet Potato Brownies

I'm not sure what possessed me to make these. The idea just sounded tasty. They're not quite as decadent and crackly as my usual brownies, but they're still moist and delicious.

1 cup all purpose, whole wheat pastry or spelt flour
1 cup Ghiradelli hot cocoa mix
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup sweet potato puree
1/2 cup canola oil
1 cup vanilla soy milk
2-3 handfuls dark chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Oil a baking dish.

Whisk together the flour, hot cocoa, salt and baking powder. In a separate bowl, combine the sweet potato puree, canola oil and soy milk. Combine the wet and dry ingredients and stir just until mixed (don't overbeat, especially if you're using a whole flour). Stir in the chocolate chips. Spread the batter in the oiled dish and bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.

Mexican Shepherd's Pie

Easy and delish.

1 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
dash of salt (to taste)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 smallish heirloom tomatoes, chopped
1 cup corn kernels, frozen or fresh
2/3 cup pureed pumpkin (optional)
1 handful fresh cilantro, snipped into bits (optional)

1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp 'instant' polenta
1/2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
2 cups water

Preheat the oven to 'broil.'

Heat the olive oil in a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, or until they're starting to get translucent. Add the spices, salt, beans, corn and half the tomatoes. Cook for another 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, bring the water to a boil in a separate medium-sized pan. Mix together the chili powder, polenta and salt. When the water's boiling, dump in the polenta mixture and cook, stirring constantly for 5 minutes or until the polenta is thick and a little difficult to stir.

Stir the rest of the tomatoes, the pumpkin and the cilantro into the bean mixture. Scoop out the polenta mixture and spread it on top of the bean mixture. Spray the top of the polenta with olive oil, then bake for 5-10 minutes in the preheated oven.

Ingredient notes: I've purchased the boxed polenta both from the IngerDahl's and River Bend Trading Company. It's way cheaper to cook your own polenta, but you can also get a tube of pre-cooked polenta and lay the slices on top of the beans. The tubes are available at IngerDahl's, New City Market, Gateway Market and Campbell's.

Baked Winter Squash with Curried Apple Compote

This is based on a Vegetarian Times recipe.

2-3 smallish acorn, delicata or sweet dumpling squash
3-4 apples, diced
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup applesauce or apple butter
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp olive oil
1 largish handfuls currants or raisins
salt & pepper to taste
1 bottle ginger ale (I like Reed's)

You can make this recipe in one of two ways. The first is arguably tastier, but it takes more time. The second doesn't quite have the depth of flavor, but it's on the dinner table faster.
Both are delicious.

The first way: Cut the squash into rings. Make the filling. Heap the filling in the center of the rings, pour the ginger ale into the bottom of the pan and bake.

The second way: Split the squash in half. Bake the squash halves in the ginger ale while you're making the filling, the combine and serve immediately.

Prepare your squash.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Cook the apples and onions for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to get translucent. Add the curry powder and raisins (and a little water, if necessary) and simmer for another 5 minutes. Stir in the apple sauce or apple butter.

Serve squash with the filling either heaped in the center of the rings, or mounded in the hollow of the halves.

Wild Mushroom Strudel

This is supposed to be a fancy dish, and it certainly tastes like it. But when I pulled it out of the oven, God help me if it didn't look exactly like an enormous Hot Pocket. That aside, I think this would make an excellent holiday entree for vegans. It's savory and satisfying in a traditional main dish kind of way, and plus, it's stuffed. Omnivores will drool over the tantalizing aromas that waft up from your plate.

4 oz. shiitake mushrooms
1 fist-sized oyster mushroom
1 8 oz. package sliced crimini or button mushrooms
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium-sized leek, just the white and light green parts, sliced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup white wine
salt/pepper to taste
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 Tbsp all purpose/spelt flour
1 tsp veggie bouillon powder
1/4 tsp dried sage
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 can braised wheat gluten drained, rinsed and sliced into thin ribbons (optional)
1 package puff pastry
olive oil spray

Set out the puff pastry to thaw. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the leeks, mince the garlic, and chop the mushrooms and gluten into little bits. Combine the flour, nutritional yeast and bouillon powder.

Heat the olive oil in a largish skillet. Add the leeks, garlic, mushrooms and sage and saute for 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms have reduced and are releasing fragrant juices. Add the nutritional yeast mixture and gluten and cook for another minute or so. Add the wine to deglaze the pan and simmer for another 5 minutes, or until the mixture has thickened. Mix in the thyme and remove from heat.

Roll out the puff pastry on a floured surface until you have two large rectangles. Spray two baking dishes with olive oil and drape a rectangle pastry over the bottom of each one. Spoon half the mushroom mixture in a line down the center of the pastry. Fold over the top and bottom ends of the pastry, then the right and left ends, until you have a little mushroom packet/burrito. Spray the top with olive oil and slide into the oven.

Bake for 40 minutes, or until the packets are puffed up and golden. Slice and consume!

Ingredient Notes: The Gateway Market has loose shiitake and oyster mushrooms available at much lower prices than the packaged kind. We get our canned gluten/abalone at Double Dragon Market for 89 cents a can. You could use another kind of seitan, if you prefer. The canned sort is nice and juicy.

Pumpkin-Eggplant Polenta Lasagna

Yet another variation on Susan's Eggplant Parmesan at Fat Free Vegan. One of our eggplants turned out to be past its prime, so I threw in some pumpkin puree and swiss chard from our garden to make up the difference. The result was incredible: creamy, savory and decadent. I have to say that this recipe is incredibly forgiving and amazingly tasty.

1 smallish eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 cup marinara sauce

2 cups pureed roasted pumpkin (or 1 can pumpkin puree)
1-2 pinches nutmeg

1 tsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch swiss chard, rinsed and torn into pieces

1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thin
salt & pepper to taste
2 Tbsp each fresh basil and oregano, torn into bits

Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup raw cashew pieces
1/2 cup soy creamer
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder (optional)
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
1-2 dashes Tobasco

Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown.

Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.

Mix the pumpkin puree with 2-3 Tbsp of the cheeze sauce and the nutmeg.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high. Add the garlic and swiss chard and cook for a minute or two, until the chard is wilty. Mix in half of the basil and oregano.

Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Layer the ingredients in a baking dish in the following order:
* polenta slices
* marinara
* eggplant slices
* cheeze sauce
* swiss chard mixture
* pumpkin mixture
* salt/pepper
* cheeze sauce
* polenta slices
* marinara sauce
* drizzle of cheeze sauce

Bake for 20-30 minutes. Serve sprinkled with the remaining basil and oregano and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Crispy Tempeh Fries

I served these with chipotle dipping sauce (the cheeze sauce from the eggplant parmesan, plus a chipotle pepper in adobo) alongside butternut squash soup.

1 package tempeh, sliced lengthwise and then cut into 'fingers'
1 Tbsp veggie boullion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
canola oil
salt

Toss the tempeh fingers with the bouillon and garlic powder. If desired, let sit in the fridge for 20 minutes or so for the coating to bond to the tempeh.

Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a skillet. Add the tempeh and fry over medium heat for a few minutes on each side, or until browned. Remove to a plate lined with brown paper and salt immediately.

Eggplant Parmesan Lasagna

This is my version of Susan's Eggplant Parmesan at Fat Free Vegan, except I wanted to make it wheat-free. I also used jarred marinara sauce, because I'm lazy.

1 eggplant, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 handfuls Tings, crushed
1/2 jar marinara sauce
1/2 block polenta, sliced paper thing

Cheeze sauce:
1/2 cup silken tofu
1/2 cup plain rice milk
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp veggie bouillon powder
1 tsp onion powder
1-1/2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch

Preheat the broiler. Lay your eggplant slices on a cookie sheet, salt them lightly and spray them with olive oil. When the oven is hot enough, stick them under the broiler for 3-5 minutes, or until they're starting to brown. Blend up the ingredients for the cheeze sauce.

Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees. Put half the eggplant slices in the bottom of a casserole dish. Cover with half the polenta slices, followed by half the marinara, then half the cheeze sauce. Sprinkle with a handful of crushed Tings. Repeat, reserving the bulk of the crushed Tings for the top. Sprinkle the top with crushed Tings and grind a little more fresh pepper on top of the whole thing.

Bake for 20-40 minutes, or until browned. Eat!

Bacon-y Potato-Swiss Chard Quiche

This recipe is from have cake, will travel. I adapted it to what I had on hand, and goddamn, was it tasty. It didn't set up very well, but I had proprotionately less tofu than veggies and probably didn't press out as much cooking liquid as I could have.

Crust:
1 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp margarine (cold)
1/4 cup water (cold)

Filling:
1 tsp olive oil
1 largish potato, cut into thin half-moons
1/2 onion, diced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup water
1 bunch swiss chard, well rinsed and torn
3 garlic cloves, minced
6-10 tempeh bacon slices

Sauce:
1 package extra-firm silken tofu
4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 chipotle in adobo
3 Tbsp miso
2 cloves garlic
1/3 c plain soy or rice milk

Prepare the crust. Whisk together the flour, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper. Use your hands to squish in the margine bits until crumbly. Add the water a little bit at a time, until the dough forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate/freeze for 10-20 minutes, to chill the dough.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Chop the potato, onion and garlic and rinse/tear the swiss chard. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet, then add the potato and onion and 1/4 tsp salt and saute for a few minutes. Add the water, cover, and simmer until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, put the swiss chard in a large pot with an inch or so of water. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the swiss chard is all wilty. Drain the potatoes, onions and swiss chard in a colander (you may need to press out extra liquid).

Rinse/dry your skillet and return it to medium heat. Add the tempeh bacon slices and cook for 5 minutes, or until crispy. Chop/crumble into little bits.

Dump all the sauce ingredients in a large jar and blend until smooth.

Spray a pie dish with olive oil. Remove the dough from the fridge/freezer and roll it out between two sheets of wax paper until thin. Peel off the top sheet of wax paper and flip the dough circle into the pie plate. Bake the crust for 10 minutes.

Mix the potatoes, onions, garlic, swiss chard and bacon with the sauce. Ladle the mixture into the prebaked crust and return to the oven. Bake for 20 minutes, then serve!

Cajun Black-Eyed Pea Tempeh Stir-Fry

Here's my thought process regarding dinner last night:

* Black eyed pea patties with chipotle remoulade sound tasty.
* Hm. Out of tofu. I could have them with salsa instead!
* Black eyed pea and tempeh patties sound even tastier.
* Damn. I'm really hungry. Patties are too much work. Let's throw it all in a pot instead.
* And add... tomatoes? And diced green chiles.
* Hm. No diced green chiles. Jalepenos!
* You know what would be tasty? Kale!

My boy declared this scrumptious. Funny how the tastiest recipes are borne out of desperation.

1 tsp olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 block tempeh, thawed and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp bouillon powder
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
2 cans black eyed peas, drained and rinsed
5-6 tamed jalepeno rings, diced (optional)
3-4 shakes Tobasco
3 kale leaves, washed and torn into bits (stems discarded, optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the onion, tempeh and salt and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the tempeh is starting to brown. Add the bouillon powder, Cajun seasoning and garlic and cook for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes and juice and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the black eyed peas, jalepenos and Tobasco and stir well. Add the torn kale leaves on top, cover and cook for 7-10 more minutes, or until the greens are dark and wilted. Stir in the greens and serve!

Double-Chocolate Spelt Muffins

These fluffy, tender, decadent chocolate gems are, amazingly, wheat, egg and dairy-free. These are based off Isa's delightful recipe at the PPK.

1 1/2 cups spelt flour
3/4 cup Ghiradelli hot cocoa mix
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup vanilla soy milk
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tablespoons soy yogurt (I used Wildwood's raspberry flavor)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 handfuls chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray muffin cups with oil. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk the soy milk, oil, yogurt and vanilla extract.

Add the wet mix to the dry mix and stir just until combined. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.

Fill the muffin cups until nearly full. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Potato-Butternut Curry w/ Edamame

2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp mustard seeds
1 medium onion, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1-1/2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
a few pinches saffron
4-5 potatoes of various sorts, diced
1/2 cup water
1 cup frozen peas or edamame
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1/2 tsp salt

Heat olive oil in a large soup pot. Add mustard seeds, stir, and cover so that the popping mustard seeds don't escape. Let pop for 30 seconds or so, then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until starting to turn translucent. Add garlic, curry, garam masala and saffron and cook for another minute or so. Add the potatoes, and if uncooked, the squash. Add the water, cover and let simmer for 15 minutes or so.

Once the potatoes are tender, add the peas and, if cooked, the squash. Add salt to taste and cook, uncovered, until all the water has evaporated. Serve with rice, dosas or flatbread and tamarind sauce.

Preserving 101: For Those of Us Too Scared to Can

One of these days, I'll get around to canning. But the Polk County Master Gardeners have managed to put the fear of God into me, and I don't have a pot large enough to submerge jars in anyway. So for now, if I'm going to preserve any of all this farmers' market bounty, it's going to have to be frozen.

Note: One side benefit is that this forces us not to clutter our freezer with processed crap that we basically never eat.

We did a little of this last year, freezing corn kernels and a few strawberries. This year, we've already frozen twenty quarts of strawberries and a few plastic tubs worth of corn and green beans.

Fortunately, the process is pretty simple. You briefly cook whatever you're going to freeze, then you either pack it into tubs or spread in a layer on a cookie sheet to freeze. (We usually don't bother to cook corn or strawberries.)

Last night, I froze five pounds worth of roma tomatoes by dipping them in boiling water for a minute or two, then plunging them in cold water. Once chilled, the skins slipped right off. I packed the skinless tomatoes into a plastic tub as tightly as possible (oxygen is not your friend in the freezer), then sealed it.

Tonight, we're roasting a whole crisper drawer's worth of beets. After they're cooked, we'll peel, slice and pack those into tubs as well.

Next up: kale!

Hopping John, Fried Okra & Corn on the Cob

Hoppin' John
===================

1/2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup quinoa
1 cup water
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
1 smallish tomato, chopped (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large pot until shimmering. Add the quinoa and stir for a minute or two, or until the quinoa starts to pop. Add the water, salsa and Cajun seasoning and cook for 15-20 minutes, or until the quinoa is translucent. Add the black-eyed peas and tomato and stir. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until heated through.


Oven-Fried Okra
===================

15-20 okra, rinsed
2 tsp soy milk
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/4 tsp Cajun seasoning
dash each salt and pepper
olive oil spray

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees. Cut the okra into bite-size chunks. Toss with cornmeal. Stir in the soy milk until sticky and toss with more cornmeal. Spread in a single layer on a cookie sheet and spray generously with olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy and golden.


Easy Corn on the Cob
===================

2 ears of corn, shucked
water

Clean the silk off the ears and break eahc one in half. Place in a large soup pot along with a few inches of water (enough to come up halfway up the corn cobs). Cover the pot and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, or until the corn has darkened to a golden color and steam is pouring out from under the lid. Remove corn from water and set on a plate to drain.

Easy Enchilada Bake

2-3 handfuls corn tortilla chips
1/2 jar enchilada sauce (or salsa)
5-10 jalepeno slices, torn into bits (optional)
1/2 cup frozen or fresh corn kernels (optional)
1 can black beans, drained
1/2 onion, diced (about 2/3 cup diced)
1 can sliced black olives (optional)
cheese for sprinkling or cheez sauce

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread the chips in the bottom of a shallow baking dish. Top with enchilada sauce, making sure all chips get covered. Top that with jalepno bits. Top that with black beans, followed by corn. Top that with black olives and onion. Finally, spread on a bunch of cheese (or cheez sauce, ala Bryanna Clark Grogan). Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese is melty.

Top with chopped tomatoes, avocadoes, lettuce and/or sour cream.

Super White Russian

2/3 cup plain rice milk
1 shot Kahlua
1/2 shot amaretto
vodka as desired

Enjoy creamy alcoholic goodness!

Green Bean Pesto Pasta

This is also really good with broccoli, if you have any. The little furled leaves soak up all that pesto-y goodness.

4-5 handfuls green beans, trimmed
2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 Tbsp pesto (I used 4 pesto cubes)
2 heirloom tomatoes, peeled and diced
8 oz pasta
olive oil
water

Cut the green beans into bite sized pieces and steam until no longer crunchy. Drain.

Bring a whole lotta water to a boil. When it's boiling, add 1 tsp olive oil and the pasta. Stir to keep from sticking. Cook until pasta is no longer crunchy.

Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large skillet. Add the garlic and stir until golden. Add the green beans and pesto and stir until heated. Turn the heat off and stir in the tomatoes.

When pasta is done, drain and mix with 1 tsp more olive oil. Top with green bean mixture and serve!

Ingredient Notes: I used homemade pesto that I'd frozen in an ice cube tray, but you could just as easily use store-bought pesto. For the pasta, I gave this gluten-free lentil-flour pasta I found at New City Market a whirl. It has a slightly bitter aftertaste, but the texture is excellent, and there's 13 grams of protein for every 2 ounces (which is fan-freaking-phenomenal).

Homemade Cheese-Free Pesto

It's time for our basil plants to meet their Maker, so we whipped up a large batch of this over the weekend. You kind of have to eyeball the proportions here and taste it until it feels right. I know that's maddening, but I'm not sure there's any other way to make this recipe. Trust your inner pesto sense!

basil leaves, washed (2-3 bunches)
garlic cloves (3-4)
salt (a moderate sprinkling)
pine nuts (a large handful)
nutritional yeast (a tablespoon or two)
white miso (a few heaping spoonfuls)

Chop up the basil leaves as finely as you can. Set aside. Put the garlic, pine nuts and salt in a mortar and pestle and bash until it forms a thick gritty paste. Add the basil leaves and bash some more. Add the nutritional yeast and miso and stir. If you like, you can use a hand blender to even out the texture and make it less clumpy. You may also add olive oil to taste, but I usually think it's perfect as is.

Use immediately or spoon into an ice cube tray and freeze into little cute pesto cubes, then seal in a Ziploc bag until needed.

Hawaiian Pizza & Pineapple Rum Punch

This was good, but not as fabulous as the BBQ Chik'n pizza. Next time, I think I'll use barbecue sauce as the base. Mmmm. Use the juice from your pineapple to whip up a glass of pineapple rum punch (recipe follows).

2 frozen pizza crusts
2 heaping tablespoons marinara (or BBQ) sauce
1 can crushed pineapple, well drained
7-8 slices MorningStar bacon, ripped into pieces
1 package Vegan Gourmet mozzarella, shredded

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Smear the crusts with a thin layer of sauce. Top with the pineapple, followed by a layer of 'bacon' pieces. Sprinkle the shredded 'cheese' on top of that.

The trick to getting this 'cheese' to melt is to turn up your oven really hot (like 450 degrees) and sort of squish the cheese down onto the pizza. Then put cookie sheets under your pizza so it doesn't burn on the bottom.

Bake for 15 minutes, or until the 'cheese' is melted.

Pineapple Rum Punch

pineapple juice from a can of crushed pineapple
1 shot dark rum
ice cubes

Combine and sip to cool off your mouth while burning it on molten 'cheese'.

Zucchini Patties w/ Tomato-Corn Relish

The perfect way to use up zucchini, tomatoes and corn -- all of which are in great abundance at our farmer's market lately. If you have someone else help chop, this comes together in no time. The sweet cool crunchiness of the corn contrasts beautifully with the crispy savory patties.

2 cups grated zucchini
1 small onion, minced
1/2 cup masa harina OR cornmeal
4 Tbsp hummus
1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
1/4 tsp cumin
pinch cayenne pepper
canola oil for frying

2 ears sweet corn, kernels cut off
2 small or 1 large heirloom tomato, diced
1/2 lime, juiced
sprinkle of salt

Mix the grated zucchini, minced onion, masa harina, hummus, chile powder, cumin and cayenne in a bowl. Mix with a spoon or your hands until the mixture can be easily formed into patties. (You may need to add more masa harina or hummus, depending on how moist your zucchini is.)

Heat a layer of oil over medium heat in the bottom of a cast iron pot. Take 1/4 cup of the zucchini mixture, flatten into a patty and slide into the oil. Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until browned and crispy. Drain on paper towels.

Meanwhile, mix the corn kernels and diced tomato in a large bowl. Add lime juice and salt to taste.

Serve the patties hot, topped with the tomato-corn mixture.

BBQ Ribz

These were easy and super-tasty. Probably my favorite barbecued seitan recipe yet. Shamelessly adapted from Fat Free Vegan and Yeah, That Vegan Shit.

1 cup + 2 Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (optional)
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup water
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 tsp soy sauce
1 teaspoon Liquid Smoke
a whole lot of barbecue sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the wheat gluten, paprika, nutritional yeast, onion powder, garlic powder and salt in a large bowl. In a smaller bowl, add the water to the peanut butter bit by bit until it's smoothly incorporated. Add the liquid smoke and the soy sauce and mix well.

Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix well. You should have a slightly moist dough. If it's too sticky, add more wheat gluten. Knead for a few minutes, then press into a lightly oiled baking dish until it's 1/2 inch thick. Use a pizza cutter to cut into strips roughly 3/4-inch wide.

Bake for 10 minutes. Flip the strips and paint them generously with BBQ sauce. Bake for 5 more minutes. Flip them one more time, paint with BBQ and bake for 5 more minutes. Serve slathered with extra BBQ.

Ingredient Notes: I get my vital wheat gluten and my nutritional yeast at New City Market. I found the smoked paprika at Penzey's Spices (it's by Cool Basil and Half Price Books, at 86th and University). I used peanut butter from the Farmer's Market and Russ & Franks BBQ sauce from the River Bend Trading Company (I've also seen it at Gateway Market).

Zen Noodle & Sushi Bar

The veggie sushi is mighty tasty and interesting. The udon bowl was less interesting, even though I love me some udon. Next time I'm trying the rice noodles with red curry.

Beautiful decor, decent prices, excellent location.

Grand Piano Bistro

The Grand Piano Bistro has had me dreaming of their falafel with apricot chutney all week. That's all I'm saying.

They had a fabulous build-a-sandwich option during lunch. Perfect for picky eaters like me.

Namaste - Now With Lunch Buffet

We've been loving the cheap tasty dosas at Namaste (77th and University). It's a different way to experience the joys of Indian food. Yesterday, we noticed that they've added a lunch buffet Tue-Sun, so we stopped in this afternoon.

Pros: Tasty, unusual South Indian food.
Cons: Not as cheap as their a la carte menu, and the food was very spicy. Which was fine for me, but not so great for my boy.

We'll definitely go back. The food is too good not to. But we'll probably have him order his mainstay chana masala off the menu.

Pesto Orecchiette w/ Green Beans & Broccoli

1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
1 Tbsp olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
1 head broccoli, cut into bite-size pieces

2 cups orecchiette pasta (or other small pasta)
6 cups water

1/3 cup pesto
2 Tbsp whole-grain mustard
salt to taste

Put the water on to boil. Once it's boiling, add a little salt and the pasta. Cook for 10+ minutes, or until the pasta is no longer crunchy but still has a 'bite'.

If using the pine nuts, heat a dry pot over medium heat. Add the pine nuts, stirring constantly, until they start to brown. Remove them immediately to a small bowl. Rinse out the pot and return it to heat. Once it's dry, add the olive oil and garlic. Stir until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Add the green beans, broccoli and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir-fry for 2 minutes, or until the veggies are dark green. Add 1 Tbsp pesto, 1/4 cup water and cover. Cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the veggies are tender. Cover until pasta is done.

Once the pasta's ready, drain it in a colander. Immediately add it to the broccoli-green bean mixture, along with the pine nuts, pesto and mustard. Stir until well coated. Taste, and adjust salt to your liking. Serve at once!

Ingredient Notes: We got our orecchiette at the IngerDahl's. The mustard we use is the Iowa Country Dill Mustard from the downtown farmer's market. Pine nuts are fairly cheap at CostCo.

Roasted Beet Salad w/ Walnuts and Goat Cheese

Closely adapted from 'Vegetables Every Day', by Jack Bishop. (An excellent book which features invaluable tips on how to store and prepare all kinds of veggies. It's indispensable during farmers' market season.) This is an amazing way to prepare beets, even if you think you hate them.

4 medium-sized beets with the tops still attached
4 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
1 Tbsp olive oil

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp Lambic Framboise (optional)
2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup walnuts
1 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

(It's easier to do this first step the night before.) Preheat the oven. Wash the beets thoroughly. Cut off the tops and any trailing roots. If the tops have gone all wilty, put them in a bowl filled with water and stick it in the fridge. They'll crisp right up.

Wrap the beets in foil and pop them in the oven for as little as 20 minutes and as much as an hour (it depends on the size of your beets). Check every 20 minutes to see if they're done. (They're ready when a knife slides all the way through them easily. Remove them from the oven, unwrap them and let them cool a little. If you're using them right away, proceed to the next step while they're still warm. If you're preparing them ahead of time, just pop them in the fridge until you're ready to use them.

Using your hands (or paper towels) rub the skins off the beets. Slice them about 1/4 inch thick and set aside. Rinse or drain the beet greens and tear them into bite-size pieces, discarding the tough stems.

Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the walnuts, breaking them up into smaller pieces with your spoon and stirring constantly until you can smell them (about 1-2 minutes). Remove from the pan, give the pan a quick rinse and return to heat. When all the water has evaporated, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until golden.

Add the beet greens and stir until wilted. Turn the heat down to low. Add the beet slices, layering them on top of the greens. Salt the beet slices lightly, then cover and cook for 2-3 minutes.

Whisk the balsamic vinegar, orange juice, Lambic Framboise and olive oil together until smooth. Pour the dressing over the beets and keep covered until ready to serve.

Scoop the beets and greens onto plates, then sprinkle with walnuts and crumbled goat cheese. Serve immediately!


Ingredient Notes: I roasted a mixture of golden, red and white beets -- mostly because they look pretty, but also because they have slightly different flavors. You can get Lambic Framboise at some Hy-Vees and Gateway Market (at Gateway, it's in the refrigerated beer section).

If you're a Central Iowan, you must use Northern Prairie Chevre's cheese for this recipe (you can get it at New City Market, Campbell's and Gateway Market, as well as the downtown farmers' market). I normally despise goat cheese, but there's something about the intense creaminess and tang of Northern Prairie's chevre that's out of this world. Plus, they're really kind to their animals... and in this day and age, humane animal husbandry should always be rewarded.

Snap Peas with Mango and Mint

Last night, I came home to a fridge full of vegetables that desperately needed to be used.  So I abandoned my usual one-dish meal plan, got creative, and whipped out three dishes: Mexican zucchini patties, eggplant w/capers and peas with mango and mint.  Three very different tastes, but we saved the vegetables from extinction.  Now I just have to figure out what to do with a drawer full of beets....

2 cups fresh peas, shelled

1 mango, diced

3-4 mint leaves, cut into thin strips and bruised a little

Cook the peas by briefly steaming them in boiling water.  While still warm, toss with the mango and mint.  Serve!

White Bean Pesto Dip

I had some of this leftover from my first attempt at the Zucchini-Pesto Strata, and I discovered that it makes for a lovely dip.

1 can white beans, drained

1/4 cup tomato juice or veggie broth

1 handful pine nuts

2 handfuls fresh basil, chopped

2-3 cloves garlic, minced

2 Tbsp white miso

1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)

Blend until creamy.

Zucchini White Bean Pesto Strata

This is adapted from Robin Robertson's Quick Fix Vegetarian, which is overdue at the library, but I just can't bear to part with it.

2 medium-sized zucchini, sliced very thin

1 can whole tomatoes, drained, juice reserved

1 can white beans, drained

1/2 cup pesto

1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)

3 slices bread, toasted and cubed

a little olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Oil a cast iron pot or baking dish.  Mix the beans with the pesto and 1/4 cup juice from the tomatoes.

Layer one-half of the zucchini slices in the dish.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Top with half of the pine nuts, followed by half of the bean mixture.  Smoosh half of the tomatoes and lay them on top of the beans.  Repeat.  Spread the bread cubes on top and drizzle with olive oil.

Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until the zucchini are totally cooked through.  Alternatively, you can put the lid on your cast-iron pot and simmer on the stove until done.  Just depends on how much you want to heat up the kitchen.

Zucchini Chai Bread

A moist, spicy, decadent way to use up zucchini.  I think this recipe works best with smaller loaves or muffins.  

2 cups grated zucchini, packed

3/4 small container vanilla soy yogurt

2/3 cup soy chai

1/3 cup canola oil

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 to 1-1/3 cup sugar

3 cups flour (unbleached white, spelt or whole wheat pastry)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

2 Tbsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup walnuts, crushed (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Oil two loaf pans or several smaller pans.  Combine the zucchini, soy yogurt, chai, oil, vanilla extract and sugar in a large bowl.  In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.  Add the dry to the wet gradually, stirring just until combined.  Fold in the nuts, if using.

Pour the batter into prepared pans and put in the oven.  If making larger loaves, bake 40-60 minutes.  For smaller loaves or muffins, 15-20 minutes should be sufficient.

Pan-Fried Eggplant Medallions with Capers

2 Japanese eggplants

2 Tbsp tahini

1/4 cup water

1-2 cups panko

2 Tbsp olive oil

1 Tbsp capers

Slice the eggplants into very thin rounds.  Salt them generously and let sit for a few minutes.  Mix the tahini and water together to form a thick sludge.  Heat the oil over medium in a skillet.  Dredge the eggplant slices in the tahini, then in panko.  Fry for a few minutes on each side, until the eggplant is cooked through and the breadcrumbs are golden.  Just before serving, toss with the capers.

Barbecue Tempeh Sammiches

1 block tempeh, cut into small cubes

1/4 cup water

1 cup barbecue sauce

1 Tbsp hot sauce of choice

pickles, sliced

whole wheat bread, toasted

Heat the water in a skillet over medium.  Add the tempeh and cook until all water has been absorbed.  Add the barbecue sauce and hot sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.  Toast the bread, slice the pickles.  Ladle the tempeh onto the bread, top with pickles and consume!

Mexican Zucchini Patties

2-3 small zucchini, grated

1/4 cup hummus

1/2-1 cup masa harina (depending on the moisture of your zucchini)

1/4 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp chile powder

1/4 tsp salt (or more to taste)

2 tsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp olive oil

salsa

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate for 15 minutes or so.  Using your hands, form patties.  Heat the oil over medium heat and fry the patties for a few minutes on each side, or until golden-brown.  Serve with salsa!

Homemade "Garlic Parmesan" Crescent Rolls

I had a yen for asparagus in a blanket tonight, but I didn't have the prerequisite crescent-rolls-in-a-tube on hand (plus, the store-bought ones are hydrogenated and icky). So I modified this cinnamon roll recipe from Meg's Vegan Recipes. They're baking right now, and I have to say that they smell wonderful. We'll see if they taste as delicious as they smell.

3/4 cup plain soy milk
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1 cup stone-ground whole wheat flour
2-1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 (1/4 oz) package rapid-rise yeast
1 Tbsp turbinado sugar
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Heat the soy milk in the microwave until hot. Add the margarine and stir until melted. Let cool to lukewarm.

In a large bowl, mix together 1 cup whole wheat flour + 1-1/4 cup unbleached flour. Add the yeast, sugar, nutritional yeast, salt and garlic powder. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Add the cornstarch mixture and the soy milk mixture to the flour and mix well. Add the flour, 1/2 cup at a time, until the dough begins to pull together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead until smooth, adding more flour as needed. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest for 10 minutes.

Roll out the dough until it's 1/4 inch thick. Cut long rectangles out of the dough, then slice each rectangle diagonally to form two triangles. (If you're adding filling, like asparagus, place the spears at the long end before you roll the dough up). Roll up from the long end to the small end, cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes.

Spray with oil and bake for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, or until browned.

Ingredient Notes: I suppose you could omit the nutritional yeast, but I think it adds a nice 'cheesy' flavor. Before I rolled mine up, I also placed a thin strip of Smart Bacon on top of the dough. I tossed my asparagus with olive oil and balsamic vinegar before rolling them up.

The Ultimate Homemade Soy Milk Recipe

I've made 5 or 6 batches now, and this is definitely the approach I like best. I don't bother rubbing the hulls off the soy beans. The barley and cashews add creaminess and thickness. I'm not sure how much difference the maltose makes, but it was cheap at our local Asian market. It tastes amazing.... just like store-bought, according to my boy.

1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp soy beans
2 Tbsp brown rice
1 Tbsp pearled barley
1 Tbsp raw cashews
1 cap vanilla extract
1 glop maltose
2 hefty glugs brown rice syrup
a sprinkling of salt

Fill the machine to the minimum water level. Strain finished product through a cotton bag (like the produce bags I got at reusablebags.com), using kitchen gloves. Add the vanilla, sweetener to taste and salt. Whisk and taste, then pour into a glass jar and let cool.

Overnight Cinnamon Sticky Buns

These are awesomely decadent. They elicited moans of joy from our local veggie group at a potluck this weekend. This is an unholy admixture of Meg's Vegan Recipes: "Oooey-Gooey Cinnamon Rolls" + Savoring Savannah: "Savannah Pecan Rolls with Sticky Topping"

Rolls:
----------
3/4 cup soy milk
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened
3-1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 (.25 ounce) package instant (rapid-rise) yeast
1/4 cup light sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/4 Cup plus 2 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp cornstarch

Heat the soy milk on the stove or in the microwave until bubbling. Remove from heat and mix in 1/4 cup margarine until melted. Let cool to lukewarm.

In a large bowl, combine 2-1/4 cup flour, yeast, sugar, salt and cinnamon. Dissolve the cornstarch in the water. Add the water mixture and the soy milk mixture to the flour mixture. Stir well. Add the remaining cup of flour a little at a time until dough pulls together. Turn out onto a floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, or until no longer sticky. Cover the dough with a moist napkin and let rest for 5 minutes.


Filling:
---------
1 cup dark sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 cup non-hydrogenated vegan margarine, softened

Mix the sugar, cinnamon and margarine together. Roll out the roll dough on a floured surface until it forms a 12x9 rectangle. Spread the filling over the dough, leaving a half-inch clearance on all sides. Roll up the dough and pinch the seam to seal.


Topping:
------------
2 Tbsp non-hydrogenated vegan margarine
1/2 cup dark sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup / brown rice syrup / maple syrup
1/2 cup smashed/chopped pecans

Make sure all your topping ingredients are at room temperature. Heat the margarine in a large baking dish (or two smaller ones) in the microwave or oven until melted. Add the sugar and syrup and heat for another 30 seconds or so. Stir in the pecans and remove from heat.

Slice the dough log into 12 equal pieces. Place each piece, cut side up, on top of the topping. Cover with plastic wrap. Let stand on the counter for half an hour (if possible) and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, let the rolls come to room temperature (in my case, this meant setting them out for 5 minutes while I hit the snooze button). Bake the rolls for 20 minutes at 375 degrees, or until browned. Cool for 5 minutes, then cover the pan with a serving plate and invert. Be patient... eventually they'll fall out onto the plate.


Ingredient Notes: I used vanilla soy milk, Earth Balance brand margarine, turbinado sugar (for light sugar), Sucanat (for dark sugar), and some cheap butter pecan-flavored brown rice syrup I got in bulk at Costco for the topping. I also try not to think too hard about the amount of margarine that goes into these. Out of sight, out of mind. :)

Two Quickie Asparagus Meals

I've been so obsessed with making stuff from scratch this week that I've been spending a LOT of time in the kitchen. Making soy milk and tofu is a little time-consuming, not to mention the homemade corn tortillas, bread and a super-time-consuming asparagus soup that was more than a little disappointing.

We also spent tons of time in the garden tonight, mowing and raking our out-of-control grass and laying down lasagna gardens for some native plants we purchased at the farmers market. By the time I finally got inside, I was sweaty, gross and desperately needed a shower and dinner.

Thank God for asparagus. It's the perfect fast food.

Roasted Asparagus (w/ Herb-Roasted Potatoes & Oven-Grilled 'Sausage')

1 pound fresh asparagus
one hefty drizzle olive oil
a sprinkling of balsamic vinegar
one large pinch sea salt
several shakes fresh ground pepper

leftover Herb-Roasted Potatoes (from Vegan w/ a Vengeance)
2 Tofurkey Italian sausages, halved lengthwise

Preheat the oven to 425. Snap the tough ends off the asparagus. Drizzle/sprinkle the oil, vinegar, salt and pepper over the asparagus and spread over two cookie sheets. Spread the potatoes on the lower half of one of the cookie sheets. Spray the sausages with oil and put cut side down on a cast iron grill pan.

Put everything in the oven. Set your timer for 10-15 minutes. Go shower and come back to delicious steaming hot food.

Asparagus in a Blanket
Shamelessly borrowed from Megan the Vegan.

16 spears asparagus
a little olive oil
1 package reduced fat Pillsbury Crescent Rolls

Preheat the oven to 425. Snap the ends off the asparagus and toss with the oil. Place two spears on the long end of a crescent roll triangle and roll them up so they form a ring around the spears. Place on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Eat with grainy mustard!

Adventures in homemade soy milk

So because my parents are extraordinarily understanding (and well trained), I got a soy milk maker for my birthday this year. I just took it for its first spin, and I have to say I'm very impressed! It's not exactly the same as store bought, but it's really very tasty. To me, it tastes a little more like rice milk than traditional soy milk, but it's very good indeed. Hooray! I think next time I'll try brown rice and barley, which I've heard thickens it up a bit.

I have to give props to Bryanna's homemade soy milk FAQ, which I religiously studied before attempting anything.

Ingredients
1/3 cup + 1 Tbsp dry soybeans
3 Tbsp rice
2-3 Tbsp brown rice syrup
1/8 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
water

Equipment
SoyQuick soy milk maker
colander
cheesecloth or muslin (I used the tofu cloth that came with the soy milk maker)
whisk
kitchen gloves
large glass jar w/ lid (I used a former home for artichoke hearts from Costco)

Follow Bryanna's instructions to the letter. Let the soy milk cool completely in the refrigerator before greedily sucking it down.

Ingredient Notes: I used red cargo rice, which turned the milk slightly pink. The last time I was at Costco, I picked up a huge bottle of organic pancake syrup for $3, which turned out to be brown rice syrup plus butter pecan flavoring. That's what I used in this recipe, and it's delicious. I've been using RealSalt lately, which is a mineral salt from Utah. And I used the Laura soybeans that came with the soy milk maker, although tomorrow I'm going to pick up regular dried soybeans from the health food store. Next time, I think I'll experiment with a little less water... this batch turned out just a little watery for my taste.

Aspiring but not perfect

These days, I eat a primarily vegan diet... probably somewhere in the vicinity of 90-95%. But I'm not perfect on that score, and there have always been exceptions to my rules.

I've never worried much about beeswax or honey, for instance (although I might start, considering the plight of the American honeybee these days). I don't freak out if I think there might be fish sauce in my Thai food. If a friend cooks a meal for me that she thinks is meat and dairy free, I'll eat it without reading her labels (even if I find out later that there's some animal-derived ingredient lurking in the recesses).

And about once a year, the boy and I make a trip up to some farms north of Des Moines, where we sample goat cheese and ice cream made from happy cows and goats we've personally petted in their barns. This year, I brought home some chevre. I think we'll indulge tonight while we watch Masterpiece Theatre on PBS.

While I would understand if anyone disagreed with my exceptions, I don't feel bad about them. I'm not on a crusade to be sinless. I'm just doing my best to reduce the amount of harm I inflict on the planet and its inhabitants. Having a little goat cheese once a year doesn't nullify the choices I've made the other 364 days.

Gingery Golden Beet Detox Soup & Homemade Veggie Broth

Gingery Golden Beet Detox Soup
===================================

Tonight after yoga, we stopped by the brand-new Gateway Market at MLK, just south of 235 (is that Woodland Ave?). It's already a marvelous bright spot in the center of Des Moines, and once there's more fresh local produce, it'll be truly phenomenal. They had some lovely golden beets for $2/pound, so I was inspired to make this version of my Autumn EquiDetox Soup when I got home with my booty. I used homemade veggie broth and was surprised to discover that the finished version needed no salt. If you don't like beets, give golden beets a try. They're surprisingly mild and sweet.

1 tsp olive oil
1 golden beet, sliced thinly
1/3 cup uncooked quinoa
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 apple, diced
2 cans diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup uncooked pearled barley or 1 cup cooked kamut
2 cups veggie broth
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 knuckle-sized piece fresh ginger, grated
fresh pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a medium-large soup pot. Add the beet slices and saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the beets are starting to yield to a fork. Add the quinoa and stir for another 2 minutes, or until the quinoa is popping in earnest. Add the garam masala, garlic and apple and stir for another minute or so. Add the tomatoes, barley or kamut, and veggie broth. Grate the ginger into the soup. Bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, covered, or until the quinoa is translucent and the beets and barley are tender. Season with pepper to taste.

Homemade Veggie Broth
=======================

2 carrots, diced
1/2 an onion, diced
3-4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped or smashed
2-3 sundried tomatoes
1 apple, chopped
2 bay leaves
10-15 peppercorns
1/4 tsp sea salt
8-10 cups water

Put in a covered crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Gluten-travaganza!

I made the No-Knead Bread again tonight, with a few changes: I used 1 cup stoneground whole wheat, 2 cups unbleached all purpose and only added 1 tsp salt. I did the first rise from 11pm to 5:30pm, then skipped the second rise. I just set the folded dough out on the floured cutting board covered with an upside down bowl while I preheated the oven + crock pot. It still turned out perfect! Tender and fluffy on the inside, crisp and crackly on the outside.

The other sensational recipe around these parts is the famous Veggeroni/Seitan O' Greatness. I used Susan's version of the recipe from Fat Free Vegan, who got it from Lachesis on the PPK boards, who might have gotten it from a cookbook by Joanne Stepaniak. It's been around the block a few times, to be sure. And it's absolutely every bit as tasty as everyone says. Almost as good as the Tofurkey sausages, but way cheaper. This is probably the only seitan that I've snacked on plain. I like it sliced, cold, with barbecue sauce. Yum!

Spicy BBQ Veggeroni/Seitan O' Greatness

The Dry:
1-1/4 cups vital wheat gluten flour
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3/4 tsp salt (I usually skimp on salt, but this one really needs the full amount)
2 tsp paprika
1/4 dried chipotle pepper, ground to a powder
a few pinches of cayenne pepper
3/4 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

The Wet:
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2/3 cup water
4 Tbsp barbecue sauce
3/4 tsp liquid smoke

Preheat the oven to 325. Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine the wet ingredients, stirring until smooth. Dump the wet into the dry, combine with a spoon (or your hands). Knead for a few minutes, or until the gluten starts to stiffen up a little. Roll into a log 7-8 inches long. Place the log on a sheet of aluminum foil, roll up tightly and twist the ends shut. Bake for 45 minutes. Turn the log over. Bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the foil to cool. Slice and consume!

No-Knead Bread

Adapted from the now-famous Sullivan Street Bakery recipe.

1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cups unbleached flour
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp rapid rise yeast
1-1/2 cups + 2 Tbsp water
1 medium-large clove garlic, minced (optional)
1/4 tsp each cornmeal and sesame seeds (optional)

STEP 1: MIX & RISE
Whisk the flours, salt and yeast in a bowl until blended. Add the water and stir until a shaggy dough is formed. Put the bowl of dough in a plastic bag, twist-tie it, and set it in the oven with the oven light on to rise for 18-20 hours.

STEP 2 (12-18 HOURS LATER): FLOOP AND RISE
Spray a medium sized glass bowl with oil. Liberally smear a surface and your hands with flour, dump out the dough and fold it in on itself twice. Put the dough lump in the oiled bowl and cover it with a very well floured cotton towel. Let rise for another 2-3 hours.

STEP 3 (2 HOURS LATER): PREHEAT AND BAKE
30 minutes before the dough is ready, preheat the oven and a covered ceramic pot at 475 degrees. Peel the towel carefully off the dough. Take the heated pan out, sprinkle sesame seeds and cornmeal on the bottom (optional) and dump in the dough. Cover the pan and bake for 30 minutes. Take the cover off and bake for another 15-30 minutes, or until the loaf is browned and gorgeous.

STEP 4: WAIT! THEN EAT!
Cool on a rack or cutting board for at least 45 minutes until you cut into it. (It's still cooking!)

Notes: You may need more or less water depending on the consistency of your whole wheat flour. You want it to be shaggy and sticky. Next time I'm going to try for 1 cup stoneground whole wheat flour and 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour. Num num num. I use my ceramic crock pot insert for baking the bread. (I took off the plastic knob.) The past few times, I've just wrapped the lid in foil so as not to let the steam escape. Today, I replaced the original knob with a ceramic drawer pull from the hardware store. I had to buy a pack of 8-32" thick shorter screws and some washers to complete the installation.

Variation: Add 1/4 cup raw sugar, 1/4 cup sucanat, 2 Tbsp cinnamon and 3 handfuls raisins to the first mix. Cinnamon raisin bread!

Butternut Squash Soup w/ Crispy Eggplant Strips

Paula's Butternut Squash Soup

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 apple, diced
1 tsp curry powder
1/3 chipotle pepper, pounded to powder
1 veg bouillon cube
1-1/2 cups water
1 butternut squash, cooked, peeled and cubed (or 4 cups puree or 2 packages frozen squash)
orange juice to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add the onion and apple and saute for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the curry powder and chipotle dust and cook for 1 more minute, stirring. Add the bouillon cube, water and squash and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until everything is soft. Puree about half the soup with a stick blender. Taste and add orange juice until all the flavors wake up.

Crispy Eggplant Strips

1 eggplant, cut into 1/4-inch thick strips
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup bread or cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
a few shakes black pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
all-purpose flour
plain soy milk or water
canola oil
1/3 cup marinara sauce for dipping

Sprinkle the eggplant strips with salt and let sit for a few minutes. Mix the bread/cracker crumbs, yeast, pepper and garlic powder together in a bowl. Set up your assembly line: eggplant strips, bowl of flour, bowl of soy milk, bowl of breadcrumb mixture, frying pan. Heat a thin layer of canola oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Take each eggplant strip, dip it in flour, then in soy milk, then coat it in breadcrumbs. Fry on each side for 3-4 minutes. Serve warm with warmed marinara sauce.

Cajun Beans-n-Greens w/ Sausage & Polenta

I came up with this after a vigorous late afternoon of pulling ivy out of our neglected flower bed. We were both hungry, so I needed something quick and hearty. This was one of those peruse the pantry, peruse the refigerator, pull stuff randomly out of both, throw in pot and cook until tasty recipes. It cooked in just under ten minutes, and we gobbled up every last scrap.

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
10 or so 'tamed' jalepeno slices, chopped (or canned diced green chiles)
1 Tofurky sausage, diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 Tbsp tomato paste and/or salsa
1/3 cup water
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 shakes liquid smoke
3 big handfuls baby spinach or 1/2 pkg frozen greens
More salsa or pickle relish for garnish

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot. Add the onion, jalepeno slices and diced Tofurkey and cook for 5 minutes, or until things are starting to brown and stick to the pan a little. Add the garlic and Cajun seasoning and stir for another minute. Add the tomato paste, water, beans and liquid smoke and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Add the spinach or frozen greens and cook until wilted/thawed. Serve over grilled polenta and topped with more salsa or sweet pickle relish (Yes, I like sweet pickle relish on beans... it's a weird childhood thing).

Microwave Polenta
=======================

I took this from Fat Free Vegan's blog. What a miracle! So easy, and so convenient to use once it's cooked up. I've been throwing slices of polenta in everything this week.

2 cups water
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp. yellow cornmeal or boxed dry polenta
1 tsp salt
1 tsp olive oil (optional)
black pepper to taste

Combine cornmeal, salt and water in a microwaveable bowl. Cook for 6 minutes. Stir. Cook for another 4 minutes. Stir again, adding the olive oil (I forgot to add the oil, and it came out just fine). Spray a smallish dish with olive oil and pour/ladle the cornmeal goop into it. Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, you will have delicious, homemade polenta!

You can then slice it about 1/4 inch thick, spray the slices with olive oil, and grill it, brown it in a pan, bake it on a cookie sheet, or microwave it topped with something tasty (like pesto! or tomato-olive sauce! or leftover soup!).

Chickpea-Spinach-Tomato Pasta/Soup

The leftovers of this pasta topping makes for a tasty, hearty soup the next day.

For the pasta:
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp olive oil
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cans tomatoes, drained
1 tsp dried dill
pepper to taste
a few shakes Tobasco
6-8 oz. baby spinach, rinsed
4 oz (half a box) of linguine
splash lemon juice

Put on water to boil. When boiling, add the linguine and cook until no longer crunchy. Drain, then toss with a little olive oil and lemon juice and cover until ready to eat.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic and dill and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Add the spinach and stir until wilted. Serve over pasta.

Makes two servings of pasta, plus a lot of topping leftovers.

For the soup:
1 can kidney beans, drained and rised
1/3 cup dry quinoa
2 cups veggie broth (or 2 cups water + one bouillon cube)

Add beans, quinoa and veggie broth to the pasta topping leftovers. Turn the heat up and simmer for 20 minutes, or until the quinoa has become translucent.

Swiss Chard & Chickpeas Over Polenta

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 smallish onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 dried chipotle pepper
2 tsp tomato paste
1 bunch swiss chard or spinach leaves, torn into bite-size pieces
1 can chickpeas, undrained
1/3 cup water
1 splash coconut milk (optional)
1 tube polenta

Rinse the swiss chard leaves by swishing them around in a large bowl of water. Slice the polenta into 1/4 inch slices, spray with olive oil, and grill or bake until golden. Smash the garlic with the coriander, salt and chipotle in a mortar and pestle until a paste is formed (or use a food processor, or just mince everything up really finely). Mince the onion.

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onion, sauteing until golden. Add the garlic & tomato paste and cook for another minute or so. Add the swiss chard, chickpeas + liquid and water and simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the liquid has mostly evaporated. Add the coconut milk and heat through.

Spoon the chickpea mixture over the polenta slices and consume!

Barbecue Chick'n Pizza

This is truly phenomenal. My boy, who loves barbecue chicken pizza, absolutely loved this. The trick is to turn the heat up at the end so that the cheese melts.

1 pizza crust
BBQ sauce of choice
1/2 pkg LightLife Smart Chick'n Strips
1/2 red onion, sliced into thin strips
1 tsp olive oil
5-10 jalapeno slices
1/2 pkg Follow Your Heart Vegan Gourmet Mozzarella cheeze, shredded

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Toss the chik'n strips with enough barbecue sauce to coat. Slice the onion into thin strips. Heat the olive oil and saute the onion strips over medium heat until juicy and just slightly browned. Spread a layer of bbq sauce on the pizza crust, followed by the chik'n strips, cooked onions and jalapeno slices. Top with shredded cheeze. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn the heat up to 425 and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the cheeze is melted.

Ingredient Notes: We use frozen pizza crusts that we get from our health food store. The chik'n strips were remarkably tasty, especially when tossed in the barbecue sauce. We got the jarred 'tamed' jalapeno slices available at our grocery store, but you could, of course, use full strength jalapenos if you like it spicy. The Vegan Gourmet cheese is the only vegan cheese I've found that melts well. You just have to be patient and turn up the heat to over 400 degrees.

Updated: For you DSM-ites, I figured I should let you know where to get all of the above ingredients. I got the Chik'n strips and the jalapenos at the IngerDahl's. The pizza crusts came from Campbell's on University, and the 'cheese' is available at New City Market. We used Cookie's BBQ sauce, which is available just about anywhere.

BBQ Beans & Sausage (Beanie Weenies)

1 TB olive oil
1/2 red or yellow onion, diced
2 Tofurky Italian sausages, sliced
2 tsp mustard powder (optional)
2 cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup tangy barbecue sauce
1/2 cup water
2 tsp rice vinegar
2 TB sorghum molasses

Dice the onions and slice the sausage. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot and add the onions and sausage. Saute for 5-10 minutes, or until the onions are juicy and translucent and the sausages have started to brown. Add the garlic and mustard powder and stir for another 2-3 minutes. Add the pinto beans, bbq sauce, water, vinegar and molasses. Partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Serve w/ a green vegetable.

Beanie Weenies on Parade

We made beanie weenies again tonight, only with the Boca meatless Italian sausages (the health food stores were closed, and HyVee had no Tofurky). It was still good, although the Italian seasoning conflicted a little with the barbecue sauce. Next time I might go for the Bratwurst flavor.

We were out of broccoli, so I steamed some cubed sweet potato in hard cider. Mixed it with a little Cajun seasoning and Earth Balance. Yum.

Tomorrow for lunch... avocado and pesto sandwich! I shall now commence drooling.

Hurricanes

Real Hurricanes aren't quite this orangey. Still, these fulfilled the mandate of pleasantly fruity + deceptively strong.

4 fl. oz. dark rum
6 fl. oz. orange juice
4 fl. oz. passion fruit nectar
1 fl. oz. grenadine
2 fl. oz. sparkling lemon water

Combine, chill and serve. You can leave out the rum and up the lemon water for a non-alcoholic version.

Creamy Artichoke Dip

This went like crazy at the Mardi Gras party. Which is fabulous, because it must have taken all of 5 minutes to whip up. The boy and I ate the leftovers with a spoon after work today. I based this on a recipe from the marvelous Eat Air.

1/2 cup eggless mayo (I used Vegenaise)
2 tsp country-style dill mustard
1/2 tsp dried dill
pepper to taste
1/3 cup vegan mozzarella (optional)
2 garlic cloves, smooshed
10-15 marinated artichoke hearts
breadcrumbs or crushed pita chips

Combine the mayo, mustard, dill, mozzarella, pepper, garlic cloves and half the artichoke hearts. Puree with a stick blender until creamy. Stir in the remaining artichoke hearts and mash with a fork until there are no chunks left. Top with breadcrumbs or pita chips and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, or until bubbly.

Serve with pita chips!

Ingredient Notes: I use a dill-flavored grainy mustard we get at our local farmer's market. I'm sure you could use any mustard, but a grainy one would be best. Your typical yellow sandwich mustard might be a tad weird. Dijon would probably work well.

I've heard that Vegenaise is the best of the faux mayos, so that's all I've ever used.

Cinnamon King Cake

Yeasty things don't do so well in my cold kitchen, so I adapted this from a VegWeb.com cinnamon roll recipe. I think I'm going to go pour a little amaretto in the bottom of the cake pan to make the leftovers all sweet and almondy.

2 cups flour
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine
2/3 cup vanilla soy milk

2 Tbsp melted Earth Balance
1/4 cup Sucanat
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1 dried bean or nut

1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp softened Earth Balance
vanilla soy milk

White sugar + food coloring (and/or colored decorating crystals)
green, gold, and purple gel icing

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Combine the flour, powdered sugar, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Cut in the margarine (or smoosh it in with your hands). Add the soy milk a little at a time, mixing gently until a soft dough is formed.

Flour a countertop and rolling pin generously. Roll out the dough until it's roughly 8 by 16 inches. Brush the margarine over the dough, then sprinkle with Sucanat and cinnamon. Place the bean somewhere on the dough sheet. Roll up the dough to form a long tube. Form the dough into a ring, place on a greased cookie sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

While the cake is baking, mix the margarine and powdered sugar together. Add vanilla soy milk until it's the desired consistency. Combine the sugar and food coloring to make yellow, green and purple sugar.

Let the cake cool, then use a teaspoon to drizzle frosting all over the cake. Sprinkle the colored sugar on top of the frosting, then top with more frosting drizzles.

Whoever gets the piece with the bean gets to bring the king cake next year!

Variations: You can also spread the dough rectangle with sweetened cream cheese or cherry or apple pie filling before rolling it up.

Red Beans & Rice

I know, I know. Another red beans and rice recipe. Apparently, I can't be stopped. Or make it the same. Ever.

2 cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2 cans dark red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
water
1 slice tempeh bacon, thawed and crumbled (optional)
1/4 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp Cajun seasoning
2 bay leaves
1 smooshed chipotle pepper (optional)

1 cup red rice
2 cups water
1/8 tsp Cajun seasoning
1 tsp olive oil

Puree the tomatoes with their juice. Combine the tomato puree, beans, tempeh bason, liquid smoke, Cajun seasoning, bay leaves and chipotle pepper in a crockpot or large soup pot. Add water until the liquid is just below the level of the beans. Cook, covered, for as long as you can stand it to let the flavors meld. (I regularly let it cook in the crock pot for 3-4 hours.) When ready to serve, puree part of the mixture with a stick blender and return it to the pot.

Combine the rice, water, Cajun seasoning and olive oil in a saucepan and simmer until the water is mostly absorbed. Add the cooked rice to the bean mixture and stir well. Serve hot!

Ingredient Notes: I usually use LightLife's Fakin' Bacon, which is in the frozen case at New City Market. If you can't find it, you could use Baco's or just add a little more liquid smoke. The chipotle pepper adds a little more smoky heat. I buy cans of chipotle peppers in adobo at Target, then use them just a little at a time (I keep the remainder in a jar in the fridge, and it lasts forever). You could use any kind of rice here. I just happen to have 5 pounds of red rice. (Plus, I like the idea of red beans w/ red rice. But that's just me.)

This is really good on tortilla chips, topped with just a little chipotle Tobasco. Num!

Pesto Swirl Crisps

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
2 handfuls pine nuts
1 packet Simply Organic pesto mix
1/3 cup water
2 Tbsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Set out the puff pastry to thaw.

In a dry saucepan, stir the pine nuts over high heat until they start to turn golden. Pour in the water, olive oil and pesto mix and stir until thickened. Remove from the heat and puree with a stick blender.

Roll out the pastry dough on a floured surface until it forms a 16-inch by 8-inch rectangle. Spread the pesto over the dough, leaving an inch of clearance on one of the long sides. Carefully roll the dough up, starting from the other long end. You should have a log of dough. (You can set it in the fridge to make it easier to handle, or wrap in plastic wrap and let sit overnight.)

Using a serrated knife, cut the log into 1/4-inch thick slices. Place each slice on a cookie sheet. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, or until golden and crispy.

Ingredient Notes: The recipe I saw also called for spinach and cheese, in addition to the pesto. I bet it'd be good with sundried tomato pesto, too.

Vegan Mardi Gras

Against our better judgement, we decided to throw an impromptu Mardi Gras party immediately after returning from a weekend trip to Los Angeles. But hey, the day only comes once a year, and partyin' is damn serious business. Needless to say, this necessitated a little frantic cooking, cleaning and decorating at the last minute. But the resulting spread was delicious... and all vegan! (As the only vegetarian in our group, I have to give props to my madly cool friends for cooking delicious food that I can eat! I'm so lucky.)

I tried a new king cake recipe this year, and while I thought it was better than last year's, it was still far too salty for my taste. The sweetness of the icing helped to balance it out, but still. Bleck. Next year I have my eye on yet another cinnamon roll recipe... maybe one of these years we'll strike gold! I thought about ordering one from NOLA, but those puppies are expensive. $40+ plus expedited shipping. Although I was pleased to see that our local Dahl's had king cakes in the bakery. So maybe I'll go that route next year.

Our table was heaped high with the following (recipes forthcoming):

- red beans & rice
- black bean soyrizo soup
- creamy artichoke dip w/ pita chips
- pesto swirl crisps
- king cake
- salsa
- pineapple rings
- baby carrots
- Hurricanes

The thing I really used to love about Mardi Gras in New Orleans was the concentrated devotion to eating, drinking, relaxing and just a general sense of play. We were fortunate enough to have that here in the snowdrifts of Iowa this year. I'll toast to that any day.

Chickpea-Spinach Curry & Whole Wheat Chapatis

I've been craving Indian food all week, but the buffets around town never seem to be open when I want to go. So tonight we made the Chickpea-Spinach Curry from 'Vegan with a Vengeance' with some whole wheat chapatis from 'The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen.' Now, I've never had much success with either curries or bread products at home. They always come out mediocre, and I never repeat them. This combo, however, was an unqualified success. Tastes just like the buffet, and it's damn good for you to boot!

I pretty much followed the curry recipe to a tee, so I won't repeat it here. I did stir in 3 tablespoons of plain soy yogurt at the end for extra tangy creaminess (I used Wildwood brand, which is made a few hours away from here in Grinnell, Iowa). I topped my curry with Pickapeppa sauce, which reminds me of the luscious tamarind sauce at Tandoor, and scooped it up with these fabulous flatbreads.

Chapatis
===============

Adapted from Peter Berley's 'The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen'.

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp salt
3 fl. oz. water
1 Tbsp olive oil

Combine flours and salt. Add the olive oil and water and mix well. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead for 10-15 minutes, or until the dough is no longer sticky. Form a dough ball, wrap it in plastic wrap and let it sit on the counter for an hour.

Unwrap the dough, divide it into four pieces and roll each piece into a ball. One at a time, put the ball on a floured surface, then roll it out with a floured rolling pin until it's very, very thin.

Spray a skillet with olive oil, then heat over medium heat. Add the dough circles and cook for a few minutes on each side, or until they are browned with darker spots. Put on a plate and cover with a towel until ready to eat.

Homemade Hummus

It seems like every vegetarian cook has their own favorite hummus recipe. This is mine, and while it varies greatly in proportion (depending on what I have in the cupboard), the basic ingredients stay the same. It's got a lovely sesame flavor, a nice tang from the lemon, and a depth of flavor provided by the salsa. I plan on having this on a sandwich with tempeh bacon and sliced avocado. Num!

1 cup canned garbanzo beans
2 Tbsp salsa
1 Tbsp tahini
1 clove garlic, minced
1 healthy splash lemon juice
1 drizzle sesame oil
1 pinch cumin
chipotle hot sauce to taste

Mash everything well with a potato masher. Then whip out your stick blender and have at it until it forms a lovely thick paste.

Stout Chocolate Cupcakes

So I was making the Seitan Portabello Stroganoff from Vegan with a Vengeance tonight, except I only had 1/2 cup red wine, and I wasn't about to open another bottle of wine just for the sake of the stroganoff (sorry, Isa), so I opened a bottle of oatmeal stout. Which worked marvelously in the stroganoff, but then I had half a bottle of stout left, and I'm really not drinking so much these days. So I did what any half-sane cook would do, and I made chocolate stout cupcakes. Except I don't have Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World, so I went to search through my saved bookmarks, and I found this Chocolate Beer Cake recipe. So I adapted it, and while my boy and I were scarfing down stroganoff, these little beauties puffed up in the oven and made everything smell like heaven.

They turned out marvelous... rich, chocolatey and oh so tender. And I was happy. The End.

1/2 cup spelt flour
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup Sucanat
3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
3 Tbsp Ghiradelli hot cocoa
1 tsp baking soda
1/8 tsp salt
1 cup Samuel Smith oatmeal stout
1/4 cup canola oil
1 Tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/3 cup dairy-free mini chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the flours, Sucanat, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a largish bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the stout, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients. Mix just until combined, then pour into greased muffin tins. Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely, then release from the muffin pan.

Ingredient Notes: You can use any combination of flours here. I just have this massive 5-lb. bag of spelt flour that I'm trying to use up. I'm sure you could use normal sugar, too. I ran out of unsweetened cocoa, so that's why I added the Ghiradelli. You could use white or cider vinegar instead of rice vinegar (it's what I had on hand). Samuel Smith's stout is vegan, unlike Guinness or Murphy's.