Scrambled Eggs with Soyrizo and Salsa

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
1/2 cup salsa
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tube soyrizo, crumbled
4-5 eggs
1/4 cup cheddar or gouda, shredded

Heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and soyrizo and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until the onions are translucent.  Add the garlic, spices and salt and cook for 1 more minute.  Add the salsa and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.  Add the eggs and cook until no longer liquidy, stirring occasionally.  Sprinkle on the cheese and serve immediately.

Vegan Baingan Bartha

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp canola oil
• aromatics
  • 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
  • 1 small onion, diced small
  • 1 tsp ginger, grated or finely minced
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• spices
  • 1/2 tsp ground cumin
  • 1 tsp ground coriander
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • 1/2 tsp garam masala
  • 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp sea salt
• roasted, skinned and mashed veggies
  • 1 eggplant
  • 1-2 sweet potatoes (optional)
  • 3 tiny golden beets (optional)
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1-1/2 cups frozen peas
• 1/3 cup soy milk creamer

Heat canola oil in a heavy pan over medium high heat. Add the mustard seeds, cover and wait until you hear them popping, then add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for a minute. Add the spices and salt and cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add the roasted veggies and tomatoes and stir. Add the creamer, lower the heat to a simmer, and cook until the tomatoes have mostly collapsed. Add the frozen peas and cook for 3 more minutes, or until heated through.

Notes: This was very mild. If you want a spicier kick, you could add chipotle powder for some smoky heat.

Sweet Potato Samosa Pie

I saw this recipe and was inspired. I love sweet potatoes. I love samosas. There's really no downside here. Because I had a head of cauliflower, I decided to try this Caulipots style (check out Post Punk Kitchen's Appetite for Reduction for the skinny on that technique). And OMG. Completely delicious.

Note: A lot of the spices are optional here; I happen to have a crapload of Indian spices lying around. You could cheat and just go with more curry powder if you're feeling lazy.

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped

2 small or 1 large sweet potato, chopped

2 cups frozen peas

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced (you could sub dried)

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup vegetable broth + 1 cup water

1 tsp salt

1 pie crust OR 1 tube crescent rolls

Indian spice mix:

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/4 tsp coriander

1/4 tsp chipotle powder

For serving:

tamarind dipping sauce OR chipotle Tobasco

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a largish pot. Add the mustard seeds and cover, until you hear the seeds popping. Uncover and add the onions; cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they start to get translucent. Add the garlic and ginger and stir for another minute, then dump in all the rest of the spices and stir for one more minute.

Add the cauliflower, sweet potato, salt, veggie broth and water. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower and sweet potato are very soft. Drain off any excess broth and mash the cauliflower and sweet potato together. Add the peas.

Spread the sweet potato mixture into a greased pie pan. Top with pie crust or crescent roll dough. Bake until the top is golden (45 minutes for pie crust, 20 or so for the crescent roll dough).

Serve with tamarind sauce or chipotle Tobasco drizzled on top.

Pumpkin Chili

2 cups chopped cooked pumpkin
2 cans red kidney beans - drained
1 head roasted garlic
1 16-oz jar enchilada sauce
2 Tbsp adobo sauce
2 cooked sweet potatoes - diced
1 small roasted beet - diced
1 Tbsp cocoa powder
1 vegan sausage - diced

Put all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 8 hours.

Easy Roasted Vegetables

Any time my oven's on, I try to pop something extra in it. A head of garlic, some beets, a squash, an eggplant... not only does it help me not waste heat, it leaves me with easy-prep meal material later in the week. On Saturday night, I made a meal out of mostly pre-roasted veggies... good for you, and really easy.

Roasted Okra
Wash whole okra pods. Drizzle them with olive oil, salt, garlic powder and chipotle powder (optional). Roast at 425 for 20 minutes. Serve hot (don't eat the stems).

Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Wash sweet potatoes and cut the ends off. Place in a baking dish and roast at 400 for 30 minutes, or until soft. When ready to eat, split it half and top with roasted garlic or baba ghanoush.

Roasted Beets
Wash beets and trim the ends off. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake until a knife goes easily through them (depends on the size of your beet, but start at 20 minutes and go from there. When cooled, rub the skins off. (My favorite easy way to serve beets is to drizzle them with pomegranate molasses and some raw minced garlic.)

Roasted Garlic
Get a whole head of garlic. Slice off the top, so the cloves are exposed. Rub the top with olive oil and bake for 30 minutes, or until the cloves are soft and golden.

Roasted Squash
De-stem and slice your squash in half. Scoop out the seeds. Place face-down in a dish with about 1/4 inches of water in the bottom. Bake until soft (start at 30 minutes and go from there).

Peanut BBQ Tofu; Orangey Roasted Squash & Sweet Potatoes; Kale & Black-Eyed Peas

Peanut BBQ Tofu

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup BBQ sauce
2 tsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp curry powder
1-2 tsp hot sauce (optional)
1 lb. extra firm tofu, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

Mix all the sauce ingredients together and whisk until incorporated. Smear the tofu slices on all sides and marinate for at least 20 minutes (overnight is best).

Lay the slices in a baking dish, smear with any extra sauce and bake, covered, at 400 degrees for 30 minutes.

***

Orangey Roasted Squash & Sweet Potatoes

1 largish sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1/2 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
salt & pepper to taste
a drizzle of olive oil
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp agave nectar

Combine all ingredients in a baking dish. Bake, covered, for 40 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the squash chunks are fork-tender. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference.

***

Kale & Black-Eyed Peas

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp Cajun/Creole seasoning
a dash of liquid smoke (optional)
2-3 cups finely chopped frozen kale (or 1 bunch fresh)
1 can black-eyed peas, drained
2 Tbsp salsa
1/4 cup water

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Add the liquid smoke and Cajun seasoning, followed by the kale. Cook for 2 minutes or so, then add the black-eyed peas and salsa and stir well. Add the water, cover, and cook on medium-low for 10 minutes, or until the kale is tender.

Tamarind Lentils & Sweet Potatoes with Quinoa

Inspired by the Tamarind Lentils recipe in Veganomicon, but altered to what I had on hand.

1 large sweet potato, diced
1 cup French green lentils
2 cups water
1/2 cup tamarind sauce
1 tsp curry powder
1 veg bouillon cube

Place all ingredients in a pressure cooker. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes.

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/4 tsp salt

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes

Jamaican Red Bean Stew

This morning before rushing off to work, I threw all this stuff into the crock pot. We'll see how it turns out. Adapted from Robin Robertson's 'Quick Fix Vegetarian'.

1 sweet potato, diced
2 cups sliced carrots (I chopped up a bunch of old baby carrots I had on hand)
1 can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can light red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can light coconut milk
1 can water
1/2 veg bouillon cube
2 tsp curry powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/4 tsp garlic powder

Combine in a crock pot and cook on low for 8 hours.

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.

Seitan Patties w/ Grilled Sweet Potato Slices

I've made homemade seitan twice in two weeks, and it's scarily delicious. It's so meat-like in texture and taste that it really kinda freaks me out -- after all, the big reason I gave up meat is because I don't like how it tastes. But somehow I always crave more of it. We had this with the Garlicky Kale w/ Tahini Dressing from Vegan with a Vengeance (a much tastier dish than I was expecting!). The marinade is based off an internet recipe for vegan Worcestershire sauce. Very tasty.

Marinade
1/3 cup water
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp chipotle pepper puree
1 pinch onion powder
1 pinch ground cloves

Combine all ingredients in a jar and shake to combine.

Seitan Patties
3-4 thick slices seitan, preferably homemade
1/2 cup marinade
steak sauce, for brushing

Marinate the seitan slices in the marinade for 20 minutes to overnight. Remove from marinade and smear (or brush) with steak sauce. Grill the patties for 2-3 minutes on each side.

Grilled Sweet Potato Slices
1 sweet potato, cut into 1/2-inch thick slices
1/3 cup marinade
1/4 cup maple syrup

Put the slices in the bottom of a skillet. Add 1/4 inch water, cover, and cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the slices can be pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, combine the marinade and maple syrup in a jar and shake to combine.

Preheat your oiled grill pan. Grill the slices for 2 minutes on each side, liberally basting with the marinade.

Cauliflower-Sweet Potato-Lentil Curry

After a lunch out at the Indian buffet, I was inspired to make this analogue to aloo ghobi (potato-cauliflower curry). It turned out to be surprisingly delicious, especially considering my general non-fondness for cauliflower.

1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
1 medium-large sweet potato, cubed
2 handfuls red lentils
2 cups veggie broth
2 cloves garlic, diced
1 heaping tablespoon white miso
1 Tbsp Pickapeppa sauce, or to taste
1 sprinkle each:
- curry powder
- turmeric
- caraway seeds
- mustard seeds
- cardamom
- garam masala

Mix all the above in a large pot and cook over medium heat for 30-45 minutes or until everything is tender and mushy and golden.

1/2 cup quinoa
1-1/2 cups water
pinch of salt

Boil the above until all water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Ladle a little quinoa into the bottom of a shallow soup bowl and top with cauliflower mixture.

Ingredient Notes: Pickapeppa sauce is a tamarind-based condiment that adds a lot of flavor to this curry; you could substitute chipotle Tobaco or veggie Worchestershire sauce. Use any or all of the curry spices; a good curry powder mix will probably do just fine. I used frozen oven fries instead of sweet potato, just because I could. You could eat this curry with cous cous or rice or any other tasty grain... I just happen to like quinoa's flavor and short cooking time.

Shepherd's Pie Deluxe

This is a variation on our usual shepherd's pie recipe, which is the epitome of creamy comfort food. Through many interations of this recipe, it appears that the equation for shepherd's pie seems to be protein layer + veggie layer + gravy + mashed potatoes.

Most of the time my protein layer is curried lentils... this time I used wheat gluten and textured soy protein. Sometimes my gravy is thickened cream of mushroom soup, sometimes it's cashew gravy. Sometimes I use straight mashed sweet poatoes, other times I mix in red potatoes and (in this case) leftover creamed turnips.

Whatever the variation, this entree is a complete meal, a show-stopper, and well worth the effort put into it.

1/2 can braised wheat gluten
1/3 cup textured soy protein
1 tsp soy sauce + 3 dashes liquid smoke + enough boiling water to make 1/3 cup
2 tsp curry powder

Rehydrate the TVP in the soy-smoke-water mixture. Add to the gluten and mix. Spread in the bottom of a glass pie pan and sprinkle with curry powder.

2 carrots, sliced into rounds
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup frozen peas

Saute the carrots & garlic in a little olive oil until the carrots are no longer crunchy. Add the peas and spread on top of the protein layer.

1 cup Imagine creamy portobello soup
1/2 cup Bulk Uncheese Mix OR 1/2 tsp arrowroot powder

Stir the above together in a small saucepan until the consistency of thick gravy. Pour over veggies.

3 red new potatoes, quartered
1 sweet potato, cut into chunks
To taste:
- plain soy creamer/tofu cream cheese
- maple syrup/molasses
- garlic powder
- Smart Balance margarine
- rehydrated tamarind/Worchestershire sauce
- orange juice
- salt & pepper

Boil the potatoes in salted water until very soft. Drain and return to pot. Mash with any or all of the above seasonings until smooth. Spread over the top of your pie pan, dust with paprika, and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until the top is slightly golden.

Butternut-Black Bean Burritos

This recipe was liberally adapted from one printed in the San Fransisco Chronicle food section. We were pleasantly surprised to find this version -- which was borne out of bare-pantry desperation -- utterly irresistible. We love it with lots of real monterey jack cheese, but we've substituted a vegan equivalent here to make it less cholesterol-laden.

1-1/2 cups butternut squash, pumpkin or sweet potato puree
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 small can diced green chiles
1/3 cup enchilada sauce, plus 1/2 cup for spreading on top
1/2 a block of vegan "monterey jack" or lowfat monterey jack cheese, grated
1 Tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp chili powder
4 tortillas

Drain the black beans and chiles. Mix with the squash puree, 1/3 cup enchilada sauce, garlic powder and chili powder. Fill each tortilla with the bean-squash mixture and top with a handful of cheese. Roll up and place in a baking dish. Top the rolled burritos with the remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Cover with foil (or an upside down cookie sheet) and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and burritos are heated through.

Black Bean Sweet Potato Hash

I adapted this from The Big Book of Vegetarian. The prep work can seem a little intimidating on a week night, but we came up with a brilliant plan. While I did yoga in the living room, I got my boy to do all the chopping. Thus, when I was ready to cook (and damn near starving), all I had to do was tip my bowls of pre-chopped ingredients into the pan like some kind of demented hippie Martha. This was surprisingly delicious... I think it's going to become a staple around these parts.

1 largish sweet potato, cubed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder
1-1/2 teaspoons cumin
salt to taste
3/4 cup veggie broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/3 cup cilantro leaves, chopped or torn into little bits

Heat the olive oil in a large pan (I used a soup pan). Add the sweet potato and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are beginning to brown. Add the spices and veggie broth - cover and cook for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is no longer soupy. Add the corn and black beans and cook for a few more minutes, or until everything is piping hot. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Curried Lentil Shepherd's Pie

This recipe takes some time, but it's well worth it. I usually coook the different layers the night before I plan on having it, then make the gravy, assemble and bake the next day. It satisfies all my longings for creamy comfort food.

Mashed Potato Layer:
Mashed Sweet Potatoes
paprika

Lentil Layer:
3 cups water
1 cup lentils
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp each paprika, dried basil & oregano
1 tsp curry powder
salt to taste

Veggie Layer:
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, sliced
2 cups green beans, chopped or red potatoes, cubed
Cashew Gravy

The Lentils: Put 3 cups of water, lentils, salt and bay leaf in a large pan. Boil for 15 minutes or so, until lentils are no longer crunchy (but not mushy!). Drain off any excess cooking water. Add rest of the spices. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed. Spread lentil mixture in the bottom of a casserole pan.

The Veggies: Saute the garlic, carrots, green beans/potatoes and olive oil over medium heat until no longer crunchy. Spread the veggies on top of the lentils. Pour the gravy over the veggies.

All Together Now: Spread the mashed potatoes on top of the veggies. Garnish the top of the potatoes with paprika. Bake for 30 minutes or until the top of the potatoes is slightly browned.

Blackened Salmon Fillets w/ Mashed Sweet Potatoes

3 frozen blackened salmon fillets

Thaw fillets, preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Lay the fillets in the bottom of a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Mashed Sweet Potatoes

2 large sweet potatoes
1 tablespoons non-hydrogenated margarine
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 healthy splash orange juice
2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
1 liberal dash garlic powder
1/2 tablespoon nutritional yeast (optional)
1 dash pepper
1 dash balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons veggie broth

Cut the potatoes into 1-inch chunks. Combine with 1 cup broth and enough water to cover potatoes with about an inch of liquid. Boil until potato chunks are very soft. Drain.

Combine the potatoes, with all other ingredients in a large bowl. Mash with a potato masher until smooth. Taste, and adjust seasonings accordingly.

Ingredient Notes: Both nutritional yeast and Earth Balance brand margarine can be found in health food stores.