Black Bean Brownies

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 eggs
3 Tbsp coconut or canola oil
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp instant coffee
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup SweetLeaf sugar/stevia blend (or 3/4 cup sugar)
Salt to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking dish. Blend all ingredients and pour into dish. Bake for 30 minutes. Makes 15 brownies.

Chipotle Devilled Eggs

6 eggs
1/4 cup mayo (I used reduced fat mayo from Trader Joe's)
1 tsp stone-ground mustard
1 tsp vinegar (I used the dark chocolate balsamic vinegar from Allspice)
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chipotle powder
smoked paprika for dusting

Put the eggs in a pan with just enough water to cover them.  Bring to a roiling boil, then lower to a simmer and cover.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Immediately remove from the heat and pour in cold/ice water to cool them down.  Peel and halve the eggs, scooping the yolks out.

Mash the yolks with the mayo, mustard, vinegar, salt and chipotle powder.  Spoon the filling back into the egg whites and dust with paprika.  Serve chilled.

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.

Pumpkin-Ricotta-Spinach Casserole

1 small pumpkin (or spaghetti squash), roasted
1 bag frozen spinach
1 container fat-free ricotta
1 egg
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp roasted garlic powder

1 tsp white pepper
1 tsp salt
nutritional yeast
pine nuts


Shred the squash/pumpkin flesh.  Mix with the frozen spinach, ricotta, beaten egg, nutmeg, salt, white pepper and roasted garlic powder.  Dust with nutritional yeast and sprinkle on some pine nuts.  Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Kale and Hearts of Palm Greek Yogurt Quiche (with vegan options)

2 bunches kale, trimmed and chopped
1/2 zucchini, shredded*
4 cloves garlic
1.5 cups hearts of palm, chopped finely
1 leek, chopped finely*
1 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups plain Greek yogurt OR soy yogurt
2 Tbsp capers*
3 eggs OR 1/3 cup hummus
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast*
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp smoked paprika*
1 Tbsp pine nuts*

* optional ingredients

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic, leek, zucchini and kale and stir for a few minutes. Add some water, cover and cook for 3 more minutes, or until the kale is dark green.

Meanwhile, beat the eggs/hummus and yogurt together. Mix in the salt, pepper, paprika and nutritional yeast. Spray a casserole dish well.

Mix the kale mixture with oregano,  pine nuts, hearts of palm and capers. Pour the yogurt mixture over the vegetables, and stir well. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Serves 8.

(Almost) Vegan Tuna Noodle Casserole

This whole odyssey started when I found a package of veggie tuna at Campbell's -- which, sadly, contains whey and egg products, so it's the only part of this recipe that isn't vegan. (I'm sure a good substitute could be made with a steamed chicken-style seitan plus fishy flavoring. I'll experiment more with this in the future.)

Both the boy and I miss tuna noodle casserole from our omnivorous days, so I decided to try veganizing it. I replaced the cream of mushroom soup with vegan alfredo + mushrooms and used Daiya pepper jack shreds for the cheesy top. The result was an unqualified success: creamy, salty, baked noodly deliciousness.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish.

1 lb. noodles of choice (I used Kalona tomato noodles)

4 cups water

1/4 tsp salt

Boil the salted water. Drop the noodles in and cook for 4-5 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and add to casserole dish.

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, diced

8 oz. mushrooms, chopped (I used oyster mushrooms from the farmers' market)

1/4 tsp smoked salt (sea salt will do just fine)

1 package veggie tuna, chopped finely

Heat oil over medium heat. Add the onions, mushrooms and salt. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to get translucent. Add the chopped veggie tuna and cook for 2-3 more minutes. Transfer the mixture to the casserole dish, mixing with the noodles.

Vegan Alfredo

1/3 cup raw cashews, preferably soaked for an hour or so (if not, just blend longer)

2/3 cup vegetable broth

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

2 Tbsp white miso

2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine

2 tsp stone ground mustard

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1 Tbsp hummus

4 cloves roasted garlic (optional)

1 tsp nori or dulse (seaweed) flakes

Combine in a blender and blend for 3 minutes, or until completely smooth.

Pour the alfredo over the noodle mixture and mix well. Top with Daiya shreds. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melty. Consume!

Ingredient Notes: I got the veggie tuna and nori flakes at Campbell's. The noodles and Daiya shreds came from Gateway Market. The mushrooms and mustard came from the downtown farmers' market. I get my miso, nutritional yeast and Earth Balance at New City Market. The smoked salt came from Trader Joe's.

Farmers' Market Quiche

I only buy eggs during farmers' market season, and then only from farms that I know treat their animals well. This makes quiche a fairly rare delicacy around our house. This one was easy and delicious.

1 tube biscuits

1 tsp olive oil

3 strips tempeh bacon, chopped

3-4 stalks asparagus, diced

2 spring onions, diced

2 stalks of spring garlic, diced

1 Tbsp fresh oregano and/or thyme

1 large bag spinach, rinsed

4 eggs

1-2 Tbsp grated cheese

salt & pepper to taste

Spray a pie plate with oil. Squish the biscuit dough out until it covers the bottom and sides of the pie plate.

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh bacon, asparagus, onions and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until onions/garlic are wilted and the asparagus is tender. Remove the mixture from the pot and spread over the biscuit dough.

Add the spinach & 1/4 cup water to the pot and cover. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the spinach is dark green. Drain the spinach in a colander, squeezing out as much of the water as possible. Chop the spinach finely and spread over the biscuit dough. Sprinkle herbs on top.

Beat the eggs lightly. Mix in the grated cheese, salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture on top of the other ingredients in the pie plate. Bake for 30-40 minutes at 350 degrees.

Ingredient notes: I grabbed everything except the biscuits and tempeh bacon at the farmers' market this weekend. The eggs & spring garlic came from Coyote Run. The cheese was Prairie Breeze cheddar out of Milton (purchased at Gateway Market some months ago). The asparagus came from Reinhart's Family Farm. The spinach and spring onions showed up somewhere along the route, too. You could, of course, use a pre-packaged pie crust, but watch the ingredient list for lard.

Farmer's Market Spanakopita

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 bunches swiss chard or kale: de-stemmed
1 medium leek: chopped finely
3 garlic cloves: minced
2 handfuls fresh herbs: chopped (dill, basil, oregano, tarragon, thyme)
1 container lemon basil Northern Prairie Chevre
2/3 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Saute the greens and leek for 5 minutes, until dark green and wilted. Chop the cooked greens finely. Spread in the bottom of a baking dish. Add garlic, herbs and chevre and mix well. Top with the puff pastry, smearing the top with olive oil. Bake for 40 minutes.

Note: You can use the rest of the puff pastry for a quick dessert. Simply smear the remaining third with jam and/or chocolate, roll it up and bake for 15 minutes or so. (I used dark chocolate spread and black raspberry jam.)

Kale-Mushroom-Sundried Tomato-Sausage Quiche

1 can biscuit dough (Hy-Vee's Texas biscuits are vegan)
4 eggs (or 1 batch Vegan Brunch omelette mix)
1 tsp olive oil
1 cup kale, destemmed and chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
4 oz. oyster mushrooms
2 handfuls sundried tomatoes in oil, chopped
2 Morningstar Farms sausage patties, chopped
1 handful fresh basil & oregano (or other fresh herbs)
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil a pie plate. Press the biscuit dough into the pie plate until the bottom and sides are covered in a thin layer of dough.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Saute the garlic, kale and mushrooms for 5-10 minutes, or until the kale is dark green and tender. Mix in the tomatoes, fresh herbs and sausage chunks and spread evenly over the biscuit dough.

Whisk the eggs together until yolks and whites are incorporated. Season with a dash each of salt and pepper. Pour the egg mixture over the veggies. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the egg mixture is set.

Asparagus Dill Quiche

I'm not completely vegan. I eat mostly vegan, but I make exceptions, particularly for locally and sustainably raised animal products. If you want to make this vegan, just replace the eggs and cheese with the tofu omelet mixture from Vegan Brunch and Daiya cheese.



1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and diced
1 green onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh dill, minced
4 eggs
3 Tbsp grated cheese (optional)
1 package crescent rolls
salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Beat the eggs until yolks and whites are incorporated. Add cheese and salt and pepper. Unroll the crescent roll dough and press into the bottom of a greased pie plate. Spread the asparagus, dill, and onions in the pie plate. Pour the egg mixture over the asparagus. Bake for 30 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

On the whys and hows of vegetarianism in Des Moines

I've been enjoying the conversation over at Locally Grown about Des Moines' vegetarian options. In a recent comment thread, InthewaterDSM expressed dismay at encountering preachy vegans and asked why people become vegetarians.

This was my response:

I agree completely that preachy vegans can be just as annoying as any other sort of evangelist. I don’t believe in bashing other people for their lifestyle choices.

I originally went vegetarian just to see if I could. Giving up something deliberately in our culture of excess seemed like a worthy experiment.

As for why I stuck with it, I’ve got several reasons: my health (a plant-based diet allows me to forgo cholesterol medication), concerns about large-scale animal-based industry and environmental impact, and yes, even some ethical reasons. But primarily? I like the way it tastes. Vegetarian food at its finest is interesting, diverse and damn tasty.

I think there’s an absolutely valid case to be made for almost anyone to *reduce* their consumption of animal products. If someone asks me (as you’ve done), I’ll tell them why I do it. But I have no interest in making converts. I think people should be aware of where their food comes from, how it impacts the world around them, and then eat what sits best with their body, mouth and conscience.

I like eating plants, therefore I do. I don’t miss meat. I’m healthy and happy. Others may eat what they like; it doesn’t affect me and my choices.

Pumpkin-Chevre Empanadas & Spiked Honey Cider

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, diced
1/4 tsp each cumin & chili powder
1 can black eyed peas OR black beans
1/4 cup salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn
1-1/2 cups pureed pumpkin
1 can diced green chiles, drained (optional)
2 oz. Northern Prairie Chevre (Summertime Salsa flavor preferred)
1 batch Gateway Market pizza dough or 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed
cornmeal for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 425. Sprinkle a pizza stone with cornmeal and roll/stretch out the dough into 1 large or 2 medium-sized discs (you can make as many as you want, but I'm lazy and only do two at most).

Heat the olive oil over medium heat. Saute the garlic for 1 minute, or until fragrant. Add the cumin & chili powder, beans, salsa, corn, chiles and pumpkin and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until heated through.

Place dollops of the goat cheese down the center of the pastry. Top with the bean/pumpkin mixture, and fold the dough over to seal into half-moons. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the pastry is golden brown.

***

Spiked Honey Cider

Mix equal parts:
Sutliff apple cider
Summerset mead

Add a tablespoon of grenadine, if desired. Serve hot or cold.

Biscuits and Gravy

Adapted from the Vegan Brunch Navy Bean Gravy recipe.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1 package Morningstar Farms sausage patties, thawed & diced*
3 cloves garlic, minced
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped off the stems
1 tsp dried sage
several dashes black pepper
1 veg bouillon cube
a few shakes liquid smoke
1-1/2 cups water
1/3 cup flour
1/3 cup plain or unsweetened soy milk

1 package biscuits**

Bake the biscuits according to package directions. Dissolve the bouillon cube in the water.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and diced sausage and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the thyme, sage, pepper and liquid smoke. Sprinkle in the flour and stir well for a minute or so, then add the water+bouillon mixture. Stir to incorporate. When the gravy thickens, turn the heat off and stir in the soy milk.

Split the baked biscuits and spoon the gravy on top.

* Morningstar's sausage patties are not vegan, so you can substitute their sausage crumbles if you want it to be totally vegan.
** Hy-Vee's Texas-Style biscuits (in the red tube) are surprisingly vegan.