Farmer's Market Quinoa Pilaf

2/3 cup dry quinoa
1-1/3 cup vegetable broth

Combine in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered, for 20 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the quinoa is fluffy.

1 Tbsp olive oil
8 oz. shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 green onion, diced
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into bite-sized pieces
salt and lime/lemon juice to taste
1 handful chopped fresh herbs (I used basil and tarragon)
1 can white kidney beans, drained
2 Tbsp red pepper-eggplant spread (optional)

Heat the olive oil on medium. Add the mushrooms. Sprinkle with salt and let cook for 5 minutes, or until darkened and juicy. Add the onion and asparagus, sprinkle with more salt and lime juice and cook until the asparagus is fork-tender. Add the herbs, red pepper spread and cooked quinoa and heat through. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Vegan Cheesecake Cookie Dough Bars

These, adapted for vegan-friendliness from this recipe, are absolutely decadent.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
2 Tbsp brown sugar
5 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine, at room temperature

Cheesecake Filling:
8 oz vegan cream cheese, at room temperature
1/4 cup hot cocoa mix (I used Ghiradelli) OR 1/4 cup sugar + 3 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1-1/2 tsp egg replacer (optional)
1 tsp vanilla extract

Cookie Dough:
2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine, at room temperature
3 Tbsp canola oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Before you start, set out your margarine and vegan cream cheese and let it warm up. (This isn't essential, but it makes things easier.) Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Crush the graham crackers into crumbs. Mix with the sugar and 5 Tbsp margarine. Press the mixture into the bottom of an oiled baking dish. Bake the crust for 6-7 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let crust cool a bit. (You could also use a pre-made graham cracker or Oreo crust, if you want to skip this step.)

Mix the cream cheese, hot cocoa mix (or sugar + cocoa powder), egg replacer and vanilla together until smooth. Spread over the crust.

Combine the remaining margarine, canola oil, sugar and vanilla until creamy. Add the flour and mix well. Fold in the chocolate chips. Drop the cookie dough evenly over the cheesecake layer.

Bake for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is crunchy. Let cool as much as possible before eating.

Kale Artichoke White Bean Strata

It's hard to say exactly how I came up with this dish. I was thinking spanakopita, but vegan. And then my pantry conspired to create this casticasserole.

Skillet Wine-Braised Chard, Beans and Sausage with Polenta

Inspired by this recipe and the fact that I got a tub of organic rainbow chard at Hy-Vee for 99 cents last week.

1 Tbsp oil
1/2 tube polenta, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

In a non-stick skillet, pan-fry the polenta cubes until crispy on several sides (you can also spray them with oil and stick them in the oven for this).

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tofurkey Italian sausages, sliced into coins
2 cloves garlic, chopped
a whole mess of rainbow chard, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1/3 cup red wine (any red wine will do; I used a TJ's Cabernet)
1 can white beans (I used cannellini, but any will do), rinsed & drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 Tbsp capers, drained (optional)
1 handful fresh basil, chopped

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and saute for a few minutes. Add the garlic and stir for another minute or so. Add the chard and wine, stir, and cook, covered, for 5 minutes, or until the chard has wilted. Add the beans, tomatoes, capers and herbs. Heat through. Stir in the crispy polenta cubes and serve hot.

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.

Asparagus-Mushroom Quinoa Pilaf

This was a spur-of the moment creation from this week's farmers' market haul, but the boy and I both agreed that it was damn tasty (and pretty simple, to boot).

3/4 cup quinoa
3/4 cup vegetable broth
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup almond pieces (or pine nuts or cashews, optional)

Combine water, broth and quinoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then let simmer, covered, for 15 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Stir in nuts, if using, and let stand.

1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
1/2 head roasted garlic (or 3 fresh cloves, minced)
8 oz. oyster mushrooms, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 Tbsp fresh oregano
1 tsp fresh thyme
salt to taste
lime juice to taste

Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until starting to get translucent. Add the mushrooms and garlic, sprinkle in a little salt, and stir for another few minutes. Add the asparagus and herbs, spritz with lime juice and stir for 3-5 more minutes, or until the asparagus is tender and the mushrooms are cooked through. Stir in the cooked quinoa. Add more salt and lime juice to taste.

Serve sprinkled with a little nutritional yeast, if desired.

Quick Seitan Tacos

We threw together tacos last night in about 10 minutes flat.

corn tortillas, warmed on a hot skillet*

pan-fried seitan** of choice

a schmear of chipotle remoulade or hummus

salsa verde***

chopped avocado

a handful of arugula (or other salad green of choice)

* You do need to warm the tortillas, or they won't be flexible enough. If you over-skillet them, though, they'll get tough. 15 seconds on each side should do it.

** The seitan I used was a pre-made batch of Veganomicon chickpea cutlets, only with pinto beans instead of chickpeas (and steamed, not fried). I just chopped them into strips and pan-fried them with a little olive oil until they were crispy on two or three sides.

***You could use regular salsa, but salsa verde is amazingly awesome; I get mine fresh from Gateway Market.

Tempeh Bacon/Arugula/Avocado Sammiches

This week has been a little insane, so we've been winging meals. This one is so simple, it barely qualifies as a recipe. But here we are anyhow.

1 English muffin, toasted (I used whole wheat)

chipotle remoulade (recipe follows)

2 strips tempeh bacon, pan-fried (I used Lightlife, but you can make your own)

1/4 avocado, sliced

a handful of arugula

1 thick slice of tomato (optional)

Chipotle remoulade:

1/2 cup vegan mayo (Trader Joe's reduced fat mayo is accidentally vegan)

1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo

1 Tbsp capers

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.

Vegan Solarz

We went to Mars Cafe for brunch the other day, where my husband got the Solarz breakfast sandwich, which was cream cheese, a fried egg, jam and spinach. It looked tasty, so I set out to veganize it.

1 English muffin
1/4 vegan omelette (I used the baked recipe from Happy Herbivore)
1 Tbsp vegan cream cheese
1 Tbsp raspberry jam
1 handful arugula (or baby spinach)

Vegan Taco Pizza

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted (or crescent roll dough, or pizza dough)

1/2 can vegetarian refried beans

1/4 cup salsa

2-3 Tbsp vegan cream cheese (optional)

1 handful kalamata olives, diced

1 vegan chorizo sausage, crumbled (I used the recipe from Vegan Brunch)

1-2 handfuls Daiya cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. If using puff pastry, bake it on a pizza stone for 10 minutes before adding toppings.

Mix the refried beans with the salsa and cream cheese. Spread a generous slathering on the crust. Top with olives and sausage, then with Daiya. Press everything down flat. Bake for 20 minutes.

Mediterranean Artichoke Casserole

This casserole was borne out of pantry desperation, but it turned out lovely. I might ditch the fake chicken next time, though... it just didn't impress me.

2 cans white beans, drained (I used white kidney and butter beans)

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1-1/2 cups artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

1 package Trader Joes chicken-less strips, diced (or other equivalent, optional)

1 tsp dried sage

3-4 Tbsp vegan cream cheese

1 sheet puff pastry, defrosted

Mix the beans, tomatoes, artichoke hearts, 'chicken' bits and sage together in a casserole dish. Distribute little bits of the vegan cream cheese across the whole thing and stir. Top with puff pastry and bake at 400 for 45 minutes, or until the puff pastry is all puffed up and golden.

***

If you have a little strip of puff pastry left over, I like to slather it with raspberry jam, sprinkle on some chocolate chips, roll it up and dust it with hot cocoa mix, then bake for 20-30 minutes. It tastes amazingly decadent, and it's so damn easy.

Laura's Amazing Creamy Tortilla Spread

This recipe was veganized off one from my friend Laura, who makes these amazing tortilla roll-ups for parties. My accidental reformulationrecipe has become a huge hit around my house. It doesn't layer up thick enough to make neat slices, but it's damn tasty just slathered and rolled on a tortilla.

1 8 oz. tub vegan cream cheese

1 cup (ish) of hummus

2-4 Tbsp salsa

diced black olives to taste

Spread thickly on a tortilla and roll up.

Soup from a Stone

When I was a kid, there was a book I loved called 'Soup from a Stone.' It's in a poor village where people are hungry, and a visitor comes around claiming that she can make soup from a stone. (Hence the book's catchphrase: "Soup from a stone? Fancy that!") She convinces the locals to throw in little bits of whatever they've got on hand... a carrot, a potato... and before you know it, they have delicious soup!

I love soup, for many reasons. 1) It's dead simple. 2) It's generally pretty good for you. 3) It's an easy way to use up otherwise unusable things and thereby save money.

This soup started with a hunk of collard greens I'd cooked and frozen earlier this year. Then some lentils, a handful of nearly expired baby carrots, and a potato that was starting to grow eyes. Chuck in the crock pot and serve. Couldn't be easier.

Soup from a stone? Fancy that!

2 cups frozen greens

1 cup dry brown lentils

1 can diced tomatoes + 1 can water

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1 potato, peeled and diced

1 tsp vegetable bouillon (I used 'Better Than Beef')

Cook on low in a crock pot for 8 hours.

Cheezy Broccoli-Orzo Casserole

When the weather turns cold, I crave creamy, hot comfort food. This turned out just about perfect, and it's very easy to make.

1 batch Hurry Up Vegan Alfredo Sauce
1-1/2 cups orzo (I bet other kinds of small pasta would work, too, or even rice)
4 cups water
salt to taste
8 oz. frozen broccoli
1 can white beans, drained
1/4 cup Daiya cheddar cheese shreds
1/2 cup french fried onions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring salted water to a boil and cook orzo for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Make the alfredo sauce in the meantime. Drain the orzo. Mix orzo with broccoli, beans and alfredo sauce. Top with shredded Daiya and french fried onions. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve.

Appetite for Reduction: Everyday Chickpea-Quinoa Salad

My Christmas present to myself was a copy of vegan chef extraordinaire Isa Chandra Moskowitz's Appetite For Reduction. I trust Isa's recipes to be uniformly delicious, even when she's trying to be healthy.

The everyday chickpea/quinoa salad is pretty simple. Cooked quinoa, a can of chickpeas, basalmic vinaigrette (this is what really makes it, and I highly suggest you check out the book for the recipe). I added shredded carrots, black garlic, chopped leeks and fresh basil to mine.

It's a wonderful, protein-rich sandwich spread. And it's damn tasty.

Tempeh Hot Wing/Mac & Cheese Casserole

I've made this totally vegan, and I've cheated and used a box of Annie's Mac. Either way, it's delicious. Inspired by Vegan MoFo #16: Amy Supreme.

1. Make a batch of mac and cheese. (My favorite vegan recipe follows).

2. Cut a block of tempeh into chunks. Boil/steam the chunks with a little soy sauce and water for 10 minutes.

3. Mix 4 Tbsp melted margarine, 2-1/2 Tbsp hot sauce, 2 Tbsp agave nectar and 4 Tbsp ketchup. Stir until smooth. Toss with the cooked tempeh in the bottom of a casserole dish.

4. Spread the mac and cheese on top of the tempeh. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs and bake at 425 for 10 minutes.

***



Vegan Creamy Shells

8 oz. small pasta shells, cooked in salted water until tender

1/4 cup flour
1/8 cup nutritional yeast
1 cup water
1/2 veg. bouillon cube
1/2 Tbsp. miso
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp paprika
salt to taste
1 Tbsp margarine
1/2 tsp mustard
2-3 dashes Tobasco

Mix the flour, yeast, water and bouillon in a small saucepan and heat over medium high heat, stirring frequently, until thickened. Mix in miso, garlic powder, paprika and salt. Cook for 5 minutes or so. Stir in the margarine and mustard and Tobasco. Remove from heat, add pasta and stir to coat.

Crockpot Seitan Roast w/ Carrots and Potatoes

This is loosely based off recipes from Robin Robertson and Ellen's Kitchen, though of course I can't do anything normal and have to screw around with it. I put this in my crock pot this morning, and I'm letting it cook for 6 hours on low. I'll report back with results.

UPDATE: The texture was a little soft for my liking, but the flavor was spot-on. I used about half a cup of black beans in this batch... I think I'll leave them out next time and perhaps replace them with chickpea flour. Also, I was in a hurry and probably didn't knead it long enough.

For the veggies:
1 pound baby carrots
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 pound potatoes, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 tsp fresh thyme
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup vegetable stock (I used liquid left over from slow-cooking beans)

Oil the inside of a crock pot. Mix the carrots, potatoes, garlic and onions together with the thyme, salt and pepper in the bottom of the crock pot. Pour the stock over the vegetables.

Seitan dry mix:
2 cups vital wheat gluten
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp each cumin, smoked paprika, dried sage, chipotle powder, vegetable broth powder, sea salt and black pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme

Mix together in a medium-sized mixing bowl.

Seitan wet mix
1-1/2 cups water (I used bean cooking liquid)
3 Tbsp tahini
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 tsp better than beef bouillon
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1 Tbsp ketchup
1 Tbsp olive oil

Blend until smooth. Add to the seitan dry mixture and knead for about 3-5 minutes, or until the dough springs back when you release it. You may need to add more wheat gluten, depending on various factors. Your final dough should be a little moist, but not sticky. (I always make sure to take the mixture into the other room while I'm kneading it and moan "BRAAAIIINS. BRAAAAIIIIINS!") Shape into a loaf, rub with a little extra olive oil and lay on top of the vegetables in the crock pot. If you like, you can pour another half cup of stock over the roast.

Put the lid on the crock pot and cook for 6 hours on low.

Tofurky Vegan Pizza

I found these at New City Market last night, and they are deliciously reminiscent of the Tombstone frozen pizzas I used to eat as a kid. Not health food by any stretch, but very tasty. I tried the Fire-Roasted Veggie and Sausage variety; your mileage may vary with the other flavors.

Pumpkin-Tahini Spice Dip

2 cups baked pumpkin or winter squash
2 Tbsp hummus
2 Tbsp tahini
1/4 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp chipotle pepper powder
1 Tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp egg replacer (optional)

Puree all ingredients together. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes, then serve on fresh apple slices or crackers.

Butternut-Polenta Casserole with Salsa Verde

Yet another fly-by-night recipe composed largely of things I had lying around the house. Again, you could make it easier or harder depending on what degree you make things from scratch.

1 tube polenta - sliced into 1/4-inch thick slices
1 cup enchilada sauce
4 cups roasted butternut squash - mashed roughly
1 can red kidney beans - drained & rinsed
1 tube veggie chorizo (optional)
1 cup salsa verde (recipe follows)
3 cups corn chips - crushed

Grease the bottom of a 9x13 casserole dish. Lay the polenta slices down and top with enchilada sauce. Combine the squash, beans and chorizo and spread on top of the polenta. Top with salsa verde, followed by crushed chips. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

***

Salsa Verde

This recipe is from my lovely friend Kelli, who is my first resource when it comes to homemade Mexican food.

1/2 pound tomatillos, husked and cut into bite-sized chunks
1/4 cup onion - minced
1 small pepper - roasted
1/2 head roasted garlic
1 bunch cilantro
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 Tbsp olive oil

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend for a minute or so, or until no longer chunky.

Note: To roast the pepper, you can either rub it with olive oil and roast in the oven, hold it over the gas flame until it blackens, or put it on a grill pan. If you're using a hot pepper, add a little at a time, being careful of the seeds. To roast garlic, simply slice the top off the whole head and pop it in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until the cloves are soft.

Arugula-Beet Salad w/ Figs

I ate far too much of this at lunch. Still, I suppose there are worse things to be obsessed over than beets, right?

3-4 medium-sized beets, roasted, peeled & sliced
2 figs, roasted and sliced
1 bunch arugula
2-3 Tbsp pomegranate molasses

For best flavor, combine the beets and the pomegranate molasses and let sit in the fridge overnight. Otherwise, just combine everything and eat!

Roasting Notes: To roast the beets, slice off the tops and tails and wrap them in foil. Pop them in the oven for 30 minutes, or until they're soft all the way through. Remove from foil, let cool, and rub the skins off. To roast the figs, slice them in half, lay them in a baking dish, and roast for 20 minutes.

Ingredient Notes: I got my pomegranate molasses at Gateway Market. It's more tart than sweet.

Butternut Squash Patties w/ Tomato Relish

I made my pumpkin patties again, only this time with butternut squash and a mild tomato relish (my mom was visiting, and she doesn't like spicy things). There were no leftovers.

Butternut Squash Patties

3-4 cups roasted butternut squash, roughly mashed
3-4 shallots, minced
1 handful basil, minced
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1 Tbsp raw sugar (optional)
canola oil for frying

Combine all ingredients and stir until mixture forms patties. Heat the canola oil and fry on each side for 4-5 minutes. Drain on paper.

Tomato Relish

2 cups diced tomatoes (I used Green Zebras, my favorite)
1 handful basil, cut into thin strips
1 tsp garlic jelly (optional, but delicious)

Combine and let sit until the patties are done. Spoon on top of the patties and serve.

Flatbread w/ Roasted Squash, Arugula, Shallots & Figs

This was definitely different, but surprisingly delicious.

Based off a recipe from Chef Chloe. This is one of those recipes that can be more or less difficult depending on how many shortcuts you use. I used pre-made pizza dough from Gateway Market and hummus from Costco, as well as squash I'd roasted last week, and it came together in about 10 minutes.

1 batch pizza or flatbread dough
1/4 cup hummus
a handful of arugula
a small handful of basil leaves, cut into strips
3-4 shallots, sliced thinly
2 figs, sliced thinly
2/3 cup roasted winter squash (butternut, etc.)

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Stretch the dough out on a cornmeal-covered pizza stone. Spread the hummus in a thin layer on top. Place the arugula and basil on top of the hummus; follow with shallots, roasted squash and figs. Bake at 450 for 20 minutes.

Pumpkin Patties w/ Chipotle Sauce

I roasted a pumpkin earlier this week, and so I'm putting it into *everything*. Tonight I was making zucchini patties, and I remembered the squash patties my mom used to make. A little sweet, crispy on the outside and soft inside, redolent of spiciness and warmth.

1 cup cooked pumpkin/winter squash, roughly mashed or pureed
2 heaping Tbsp chickpea flour
2 heaping Tbsp vital wheat gluten
1 Tbsp hummus (optional)
1/2 tsp garam masala
a pinch of cloves
1/4 tsp chipotle pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix all ingredients together. You should have a stiff batter. Heat a thin layer of olive oil in a skillet. Using a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each, flatten into patties and fry until browned and crispy on both sides.

Chipotle Sauce
1/4 cup vegan mayo
1/3 cup silken tofu
1 chipotle pepper in adobo
2 tsp capers
1 Tbsp smokey chipotle jam

Puree and serve.

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.

Baba Ghanoush

1 eggplant
olive oil
roasted garlic
lemon juice
chipotle powder
tahini (or hummus)

Stab your eggplant a couple of times and pop it in the oven for 45 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and collapsing. Let cool. Remove the skin and as many seeds as you can (you won't be able to get them all; don't stress about it).

Using a stick blender, puree the eggplant. Add other ingredients to taste and blend well.

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).

Vegan Chocolate Stout Cheesecake

I winged this recipe when a quick Google didn't turn up anything, and yes. This wins.

2 8-oz tubs vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/4 cup cornstarch
4 tsp powdered egg replacer (I used Ener-G egg replacer)
2 Tbsp molasses
1-1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan stout
1/3 cup mini vegan chocolate chips (optional)

1 pre-made Oreo or graham cracker crust

Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips with a hand mixer until smooth. Add the chocolate chips and pour into prepared crust. Bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees, then let cool before serving.

Ingredient Notes: I used Tofutti's Better Than Cream Cheese and Samuel Smith's oatmeal stout (check other stout brands here), which I picked up at the Hy-Vee Drugstore at 42nd & University. If you can't find vegan chocolate chips, you can always chop up a vegan chocolate bar and use that instead.

Curried Ginger Acorn Squash w/ Apple Stuffing

1 Tbsp olive oil
4 apples - chopped
2 onions - diced
3-4 garlic cloves - minced
1 handful dried apricots
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp each ground ginger, curry powder, turmeric and garam masala
1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

1 bottle real ginger ale
2 acorn squash - seeded and cut into rings

Saute the apples and onions until tender. Add garlic, apricots, salt, spices and nuts and cook for 3-5 minutes.

Place the squash rings in a baking dish. Spoon the filling into the center of the squash rings. Pour the ginger ale around the squash rings and bake for 20 minutes, or until tender.