Berry-Ginger Smoothie

Tonight, like many Sunday nights, I just didn't feel like a full meal. But when 10 o'clock rolled around and I started feeling nauseous, I realized I'd better eat something. Voila, magic instant smoothie.

1-1/2 cups frozen mixed berries
1 knuckle-sized piece of ginger
1 cup soy milk
1/2 cup fruit juice
2 smoothie ice cubes
2 handfuls raw cashews
splash lime juice
2 Tbsp ground flax seed

Blend for 3 minutes, or until smooth.

Grilled Plantains w/ Black Bean-Corn Relish & Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries

Grilled Plantains
1 semi-ripe plantain, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 tsp sucanat or sugar or maple syrup
1/4 tsp lime juice
dash salt

Rub the slices with lime juice and sprinkle with sucanat and salt. Generously oil the grill pan and grill for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Black Bean-Corn Relish
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
kernels from 2 ears of corn
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp lime juice
1/4 tsp garlic powder
a few shakes chipotle hot sauce

Combine the corn kernels and a little water in a small saucepan. Cook the corn for 3 minutes, or until no longer raw. Drain the corn and add to the black beans. Add lime juice, cumin, garlic powder and hot sauce and mix well.

Gingered Mangoes & Strawberries
2 ripe mangoes, peeled and diced
5-6 strawberries, quartered
2 pieces crystallized ginger, chopped or 1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

Combine the mangoes, strawberries and ginger in a bowl and mix well. Let set for a few minutes, then serve!

Vegan desserts in Des Moines

Tonight we felt like something special after a quick meal (I was craving fast food like crazy, so a quick dinner was of the essence). So we drove the few blocks to Gelaterie Stam and got a few creamy, dense servings of their non-dairy fruit sorbets. If you're in the mood for a sweet treat, their fruit gelato is really fabulous. They also had a chocolate soy flavor, but I couldn't resist the large pink mounds of triple berry. (My boy had the right idea, though, when he went for the lemon. It was bright, fresh and not too sweet.)

Our other dessert indulgence (beyond the box of Soy Delicious ice cream sandwiches that we've been steadily working our way through) is the black sticky rice at The King and I. It's a purply-black rice pudding made with coconut milk that's absolutely sinful.

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.

Tahini (Sesame Seed Paste)

Tonight I made Garlicky Kale with Tahini Dressing from Vegan with a Vengeance. But alas, I had just thrown out my six-month-old tahini, so I was fresh out. Rather than going to the store, I made this version. While it was a little chunky, it was still utterly delicious. Tahini by itself is a little bitter, but after my first taste, I just kept dipping my finger back in. There must be something in it that my body needs (calcium, maybe?).

1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 tsp black sesame oil
1/3 cup olive oil
water to thin

In a dry saucepan, toast the sesame seeds for 2 minutes, or until they start to turn golden. Then dump them out into a mortar and pestle (or food processor), let cool, and pound with a tiny bit of salt until they form coarse crumbs. Combine ground sesame seeds with the oils and water (start with just a splash) in a bowl (or food processor) and blend with a stick blender until smooth. Add water to achieve the consistency you desire.

Chocolate-Nutty Protein Shake

I whipped this together tonight because we had baked zucchini and tomatoes -- which is super-tasty and very good for you -- but has very little protein. This was sweet, creamy and smooth... almost a drinkable dessert.

1 frozen banana
1 handful berries
6 oz. silken tofu (the vacuum-packed kind)
2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tsp hemp seed nuts (optional)
1 handful raw cashews (optional)
1 cup soy milk
1/4 cup fruit juice
2 Tbsp cocoa powder

Puree all ingredients in a blender for a few minutes, or until very smooth. Taste and adjust ingredients to your liking. Makes 2-3 8-oz. servings.

Ingredient Notes: Smoothies tend to get all of my pantry leftovers. I used the last of my farmer's market strawberries, which were a little overripe. I used Bolthouse Farms' Green Goodness smoothie for my fruit juice, and Mori-Nu Mates chocolate pudding mix instead of cocoa powder.

Total grams protein: 36.5g, or 12g per 8oz. serving
Banana = 1g
Tofu = 12g
Peanut butter = 8g
Cashews = 5g
Hemp seed nuts = 2g
Soy milk = 6g
Juice = 1/2g
Cocoa powder = 2g

Total percent calcium: 45%, or 15% per 8oz. serving
Banana = 1%
Tofu = 10%
Peanut butter = 1.5%
Cashews = 1%
Soy milk = 30%
Cocoa powder = 1.5%

Total grams magnesium: 300mg (100%), or 100mg (30%) per 8oz. serving
Banana = 30mg
Tofu = 44mg
Peanut butter = 50mg
Cashews = 82.5mg
Hemp seed = 5mg
Soy milk = 39.2mg
Cocoa powder = 50mg

Fresh Pesto

1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp hemp seed nuts (optional)
2-3 cups basil leaves, chopped finely
2 heaping tablespoons pine nuts
1 tsp white miso
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2-3 Tbsp olive oil

In a dry saucepan, toast the pine nuts just until they start to turn golden. Put the garlic, salt and hemp seed in a mortar and pestle and pound until it forms a paste. Add the basil leaves and pine nuts and pound again until finely pulverized. Turn out into a bowl, add miso, yeast and olive oil and taste until it seems right.

Red Lentil Rice Soup w/ Kale

This is partially inspired by a delicious soup I had at The Olde Main Brewery in Ames, but it also borrows a fair amount from an Indian lentil-rice porridge called kitchari. Kitchari is used to soothe the digestive system in traditional Ayurvedic lore, and this soup is both soothing and packed with nutrition.

1 vegetable bouillon cube
4 cups water
3/4 cup red lentils
3/4 cup rice
1 14-oz. jar finely diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp soy sauce or Braggs liquid aminos
2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
2-3 cups kale, washed and torn into pieces

Combine the bouillon cube, water, soy sauce and spices in a large soup pot and cook over medium-high heat until the bouillon begins to dissolve. Add the lentils, rice and tomatoes and lower the heat to a simmer. Simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the lentils and rice are soft. Using a hand blender, puree the soup to desired consistency.

Put the kale and a little water in a covered saucepan and cook for a few minutes, or until darkened. Drain off the water and add the kale to the soup. Stir and serve with hunks of tasty bread!

Mango-Strawberry Sunshine Pie

12 oz. extra firm silken tofu
1 pkg. Mori Nu Mates vanilla pudding mix
3-4 mangoes, sliced
2 Tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
1/4 cup tart-sweet liquid of your choice (I used green goodness smoothie)

1 graham-cracker crust
8-10 strawberries, thinly sliced
1 tsp sucanat
1/2 mango, sliced into thin crescent moons

Place the tofu, mangoes, lime juice, ginger and tart liquid in a large bowl. Blend with a stick blender for several minutes, or until very smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings to your liking.

Pour the mixture into prepared graham cracker crust. Arrange the strawberry slices in a layer over the top of the tofu mixture. Sprinkle with sucanat. Top with the mango moons in a sunflower-like shape on top. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 12-24 hours, or until set.

BBQ Grilled Seitan

Marinade
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup orange juice
3 tsp Asian garlic chili sauce
5-6 drops liquid smoke
1-1/2 Tbsp sorghum molasses
1/2 tsp rice vinegar

2 cups seitan AND/OR 12 oz. extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
2 Tbsp sucanat OR brown sugar

Place the seitan in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Combine the marinade ingredients in a bowl, then pour over the seitan. Marinate for at least one hour (overnight, if possible).

Drain off the marinade and put in a small saucepan. Add the sucanat or sugar and simmer the marinade until bubbly.

Grease a grill pan very well. Grill the seitan over medium-high heat for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until slightly blackened. Put the grilled seitan in a covered glass dish, coat with barbecue sauce and let sit until the whole batch is finished. Serve with the warm marinade on the side.

Notes: If using tofu, cut into 1/4-inch thick triangles. Unless you like your tofu wobbly, you'll need to bake it in a 400 degree oven for 25 minutes to firm it up and/or pan-fry it before adding the grill marks.

Creamy Penne w/ Seitan & Tomatoes

This is total comfort food -- completely irresistible and makes for great left-overs.

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 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.

1 can braised wheat gluten, well rinsed and shredded
8 oz. small pasta, cooked
1 can finely diced tomatoes, undrained

Put the water for the pasta on to boil. When boiling, drop in the pasta and cook until done. Meanwhile, add the wheat gluten and tomatoes (with their juice) to the sauce and simmer until bubbling, hot and thickened. Drain the pasta over them. Add the pasta to the sauce and toss well to coat. Serve immediately.

Louisiana Lentil Stew

Adapted from The Ethnic Vegetarian, which has bunches of interesting-looking recipes that I'm just dying to try. This was quite possibly the most flavorful lentil soup I've ever had... very satisfying, and packed full of nutrients to boot!

1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups water
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2-3 dashes liquid smoke
2 bay leaves
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup lentils
3 Tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp pureed chipotle in adobo OR 1/4 tsp chipotle hot sauce
1/2 cup sweet red wine
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 hefty pinch rosemary
ground pepper to taste
8-10 oz. kale and/or swiss chard

Heat the oil in a large soup pot. Saute the onion powder and garlic for 3-5 minutes, or until browned. Add the water, nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, bay leaves and salt and bring to a boil. Add the lentils, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 30 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding more water if the lentils start to look dry.

Meanwhile, put your kale and/or swiss chard in a steamer insert or metal colander and steam for 5 minutes, or until dark and wilted. Rinse the steamed leaves under cool water and use scissors to cut them up into bite-size pieces. Set aside.

Once the lentils are tender, add the wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, chipotle, basil, oregano, rosemary and pepper. Return to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the greens and simmer for 15 minutes more. Serve hot with crusty bread!

Baked Polenta w/ Puttanesca Sauce

Adapted from The Big Book of Vegetarian. I didn't have capers or green olives for the sauce, so I adapted to what I had on hand. This was delightful, and it only took 20 minutes or so to whip up. (My boy made himself a chicken/mustard sandwich and took twice as long.)

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup sweet red wine
1 Tbsp tomato paste
1 jar finely diced tomatoes w/ juice
2 basil leaves, finely chopped
1 handful kalamata olives, pitted and smooshed
1 artichoke heart, smooshed
a few drops Tobasco

Heat the oil in a saucepan, and saute the garlic until golden. Add the wine, tomato paste, tomatoes and basil and simmer merrily for 10-15 minutes. Add the olives, artichoke and Tobasco and heat through, then remove from the heat.

6-8 slices sun-dried tomato polenta
olive oil
ground pepper

Meanwhile, smear the slices with olive oil and pop in the oven for 10 minutes at 425 degrees, or until browned. Transfer to a plate, season with pepper, and top with the sauce. Serve with a glass of red wine.

Des Moines: A Vegan Home Sweet Home

When we moved to Des Moines, I was initially skeptical about my chances of finding vegetarian-friendly restaurants. (I remember when a college friend from a small Iowa town said that it would be more shocking for her to come home and declare she was a vegetarian than to come home and declare she was a lesbian.) Contrary to my expectations, I've been pleasantly surprised at just how easy it is. Most of the Asian restaurants in town have entire menus of vegetarian food, and even some of the non-usual chains have been accommodating: Z'Marik's, Panchero's, HuHots, etc. As long as you don't go to a steakhouse, a barbecue joint or a McDonald's, I can almost always find something I can eat.

All that said, I've been absolutely delighted to discover two of the most vegetarian-friendly restaurants in Des Moines living side-by-side in Western Gateway Park: Ritual Cafe and Beggar's Banquet. We discovered Ritual Cafe a few months ago, when the new library opened. It's your classic funky coffee shop run by a team of happy hippie women, and the menu is all-vegetarian. I ordered a hummus sandwich minus the cheese, and they poked their heads up while making my sandwich to ask if I was a vegan. Needless to say, I happily nodded; I wasn't entirely sure any eating establishments in Des Moines even knew what 'vegan' meant. The hummus was amazing, as were their smoothies. They quickly replaced Gong Fu Tea as our regular post-library stop.

This weekend, during the Des Moines Art Festival, we eschewed the crowded food booths and headed to the Ritual Cafe for a plate of hummus and a smoothie. Sadly, they had locked up the grill to accommodate the Art Festival rush. They had pre-made wraps on hand, but all of them had cheese. The curly-headed barista remembered I ate vegan and promptly shuffled me off next door to Beggar's Banquet.

Beggar's Banquet reminds me of our favorite neighborhood deli in New Orleans. It's a no-frills sandwich shop staffed by friendly young people, and their vegan food is clearly marked as such (which nearly made me cry). I had a tempeh reuben with soy cheese, which was utterly divine. Needless to say, we'll be returning for future lunch engagements.

It so refreshing to discover such enlightened food in the middle of a traditionally meat-and-potatoes state. Anyone who thinks we're backward definitely needs to dive into these establishments. Tell 'em a happy vegan sent you their way.

Pesto Pizzas

I mourned pizza when I had to give up cheese. I deeply love pizza with all of my being, and I was just sure that you couldn't do pizza without cheese. Our first store-bought frozen no-cheese pizza held up that suspicion by being soggy and un-pizza-like. But these were delicious, and just salty and surprising enough that cheese honestly could not have improved them.

2 store-bought mini pizza crusts (or thick pita breads)
1/3 cup pesto
1 heirloom tomato, sliced thinly, goopy bits removed
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
10ish mushroom slices
4 basil leaves, sliced thinly
4-5 artichoke hearts, mashed lightly

Spread the pizza crusts with the pesto, then top with everything else in whatever order you desire. I put the tomatoes on first, followed by the mushrooms, artichoke hearts, garlic and basil. Spray the tops of the pizzas with baking spray and pop in the oven for 20 minutes at 400 degrees, or until the crusts are browned and the veggies look delicious!

Easy French Toast

This morning, I really wanted to make the Fronch Toast from Vegan with a Vengeance, but I didn't have any chickpea flour in the house, and I was hungry and needed it *now*. So I did this instead (and boy, was it ever worth it).

1 banana
2/3 cup soy milk
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 dash nutmeg
several hefty sprinkles of salt
1 tsp nutritional yeast

2-3 slices of stale or very lightly toasted bread
2 Tbsp canola oil

fresh or frozen strawberries
maple syrup

Blend the banana, soy milk, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt and yeast together until they form a frothy, smooth batter. Soak bread in the batter. Heat the canola oil to medium high, then fry the soaked toast for 1-2 minutes on each side, or until crusty and golden. Meanwhile, put the strawberries in a small saucepan and just cover with maple syrup. Heat for a few minutes, or until the strawberries are heated through and the maple syrup is reddish.

Serve immediately, with strawberry syrup drizzled over each toast piece. Divine!

Pesto Gnocchi

If store-bought pesto didn't have cheese, this would be the ultimate in simplicity: gnocchi + pesto = love. But sadly, it's rare to find premade pesto without parmesan or asiago. I'd make pesto at home, but I rarely have enough fresh basil on hand to make a decent batch. Enter my local grocery store, which has packets of Simply Organic pesto sauce on hand, which (happily) are naturally cheese-free.

1 packet simply organic pesto sauce
1/3 cup pine nuts
1-2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 package potato gnocchi

Put on 4-6 cups salted water to boil. In a dry saucepan, toast the pine nuts for 5 minutes, or until they turn golden. Add the pesto sauce packet, 1/2 cup water, oil and yeast and stir until thickened. Remove from heat.

Once the water is boiling, drop the gnocchi in and cook for 3-5 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Drain, return to pot and toss with a little pesto sauce.

Serve immediately with a large salad and extra pesto sauce to top each serving with.

Peanut Soba w/ Tofu & Peas

Super-quick, super tasty. You might want to make your peanut sauce on the sharp/savory side, since the peas are sweet and the tofu and noodles are mild. I'd use raw garlic to give it some extra bite.

4 cups water
4 oz. soba
1/2 cup peanut sauce, or to taste
2 cups sugar snap peas, ends trimmed
2 oz firm tofu, cut into tiny pieces

Boil the water while you're trimming the ends off the peas and chopping up the tofu. Drop the soba in and cook for 5 minutes, or until al dente. Put the peas in the bottom of a colander and drain the soba over them. Return peas and soba to the pot with the tofu and peanut sauce and toss well to combine.

Garden Greens Soup

I made this up on the spot tonight when my proud gardener boy presented me with several bowls of freshly picked greens from the back yard. I needed something light and filling to take to work tomorrow... on Tuesday I'm getting my first cholesterol test in 5 months. Wish me luck...

1 veg bouillon cube
4 cups water
2 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
1 jar diced tomatoes, with juice
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup quinoa
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast (optional)
1 bunch kale, washed and trimmed
1 bunch swiss chard, washed and trimmed
ground pepper to taste
2 dashes Tobasco
2 dashes lime juice

Boil 2 cups of the water and pour over the bouillon cube. Stir to dissolve. Pour into the bottom of a large soup pot. Add the garlic, tomatoes, beans, quinoa, nutritional yeast and remaining water and turn on high. Boil for 5-10 minutes, or until the quinoa start rising to the top. Lower the heat to a simmer and add kale & swiss chard. Cook for another 3 minutes, or until the greens are wilted. Season to taste with pepper, Tobasco and lime juice.

Super-Creamy Guacamole w/ Homemade Corn Chips

Boy, it's a good thing I got over my childhood aversion to avocadoes. Since I've started following a vegan diet, they have been my salvation. They're the perfect creamy/rich stand-in for cheese and sour cream in a Mexican meal, and they're just so damn good on toasted hummus sandwiches. While we were in Houston last month, we went to a Mexican restaurant that made its guacamole tableside, and it had a particularly creamy depth to it that I've been craving ever since. I tried to make it last week from a recipe and failed utterly; this time around I did much better. Sinful delight! (And since my boy doesn't like guac, I had it all to myself. Mua-ha-ha!)

Guacamole
1/2 avocado
1/4 tsp onion powder
2 cloves garlic, mashed and minced
salt & pepper to taste
2 tsp chipotle garlic salsa
1/2 Tbsp cilantro leaves, minced very finely

Chips
4 corn tortillas
salt to taste
baking spray

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lay the 4 tortillas on a baking sheet. Spray them with the baking spray. Flip and spray again. Slice each tortilla into quarters, sprinkle with salt, and bake for 5-10 minutes, or just until they're starting to get golden. Don't let them burn!

While the chips are cooling, mash all guacamole ingredients together in a bowl. Serve immediately and relish your avacado-laden decadence!

Mango Ginger Tofu

This is adapted from Isa's recipe from Vegan with a Vengeance (my new favorite cookbook). It was a little effort, but well worth it. We had this with steamed farmer's market asparagus, and it was the perfect end to a very long week. (Last night, for our anniversary, we went out for Thai food, where I chowed down on fried tofu, papaya salad and sweet purple rice w/ coconut milk. Num!)

2 cloves garlic, minced
3-4 pieces crystallized ginger
2-3 mango pieces, roughly chopped
1 dash Tobasco
1 shotglass full of maple syrup
1/2 cup white wine
fresh black pepper to taste
a few dashes of Bragg's Liquid Aminos
1/8 teaspoon garam masala
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 shotglass full of lime juice
1/2 cup orange juice

1 block extra firm tofu, drained and pressed
2 pieces mango, sliced in long thin slices

Mash the crystallized ginger, garlic and mango with a mortar and pestle until well pulverized. Add Tobasco, maple syrup, wine, pepper, Bragg's, garam masala, vinegar, lime juice & orange juice and puree with a hand blender.

Cut the tofu into triangle shapes, lay in a plastic Tupperware container, and pour the marinade over them. Marinate overnight.

The next day, extract the tofu and lay in a single layer in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Ladle a little marinade over the tofu slices. Spray generously with baking spray. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the marinade in a saucepan and simmer until darkened.

Take the tofu out, flip the slices over over, and ladle more marinade on top. Spray generously with baking spray, add the mango strips to the tofu, then bake for 30-40 more minutes, or until the tofu slices are browned on top.

Pour the reserved marinade into a bowl and serve the tofu slices topped with marinade.

Sundried Tomato Pesto

1/2 cup dry sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
1 cup water
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 tbsp dried basil
1/4 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper (to taste)
2 Tbsp water
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 tbsp olive oil

Put the sun-dried tomatoes in a bowl. Boil the water in a kettle and pour it over the tomatoes, then cover and let sit for 10 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft. Drain and set aside. Put the pine nuts in a dry saucepan and heat over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring, or until just golden.

Crush the basil, pine nuts, garlic, salt & pepper in a mortar and pestle until they form a thick paste. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl, add the olive oil and tomatoes, and pulverize with the pestle. Finish the mixture off with a hand blender until smooth.

Toss with pasta or gnocchi and consume!

Spinach-Artichoke-Tomato Salad w/ Orange Dressing

1 bag (or several plants' worth) spinach leaves, washed and torn
1 tomato, sliced into chunks
10-15 artichoke hearts, drained

Put all ingredients in a bowl and toss to combine.

Dressing
4 Tbsp orange juice
1 Tbsp honey mustard
1 Tbsp olive oil

Whisk all ingredients together and serve on the side, so each diner can dress her own salad.

Panko-Crusted Portabello Tenders

I couldn't find any vegan recipes for panko-breaded portabellos, so I went out on a limb and invented my own. Oh, how I love it when a recipe bunny works out! These were delicious, decadent, and surprisingly quick to make. They're perfect for when you're having fast food cravings. Serve with a spinach salad and any dipping sauce you desire (I had mine with sundried tomato pesto thinned with a little water & lemon juice).


4 portabello mushroom caps
1/3 cup water
2 tsp Braggs Liquid Aminos

3 cups panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp each salt & pepper

1/2 cup plain soy milk
1/4 cup flour
canola oil for frying
1 brown paper grocery bag, torn into dinner-plate-sized sections

Slice the mushroom caps into 1/2-inch thick slices. Toss the slices with the water and Braggs in a large covered pan and steam for 5 minutes, or until they start to darken. Drain well, rinse with cold water and set aside until cool enough to handle.

Meanwhile, mix the panko, yeast, onion & garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper together and spread in the bottom of a pie plate. Pour 1/2 inch of canola oil into your frying pan and turn it on medium high. Set up an assembly line leading up to your frying pan that goes thusly: 1. Mushroom slices; 2. Dinner plate with flour; 3. Shallow dish of soy milk; 4. Pie plate with panko; 5. Frying pan.

Once the oil is hot, dip each mushroom slice into the flour, then into the soy milk, then roll it in breadcrumbs and lay in the frying pan. Fry for 3 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Lift out of the oil and let cool on a piece of brown paper bag (the paper will absorb any excess oil).

Ingredient Notes: You can get portabello mushroom caps cheaply at Dahl's or in bulk at CostCo. Braggs Liquid Aminos, nutritional yeast and plain soy milk can be found at New City Market or Campbell's; if you can't find them, you can substitute soy sauce, finely grated Parmesan cheese, and any kind of milk you desire (cow, rice, almond) or water. Panko breadcrumbs are in the Asian section of most well-stocked supermarkets; I found mine at Double Dragon Market.

Spinach and Artichoke Pie

I adapted this from Fat Free Vegan, and it was delicious. Deeply satisfying, too, to wildly mush everything together, throw it in the oven and abscond to the living room to do yoga. We used our first spinach harvest from the garden in this dish. As in the original recipe, you can use phyllo dough to top the spinach mixture; I frequently do. But when I'm feeling lazy (which is often), I break out the puff pastry.

2 bags (16-ish oz.) baby spinach

12 oz. extra-firm tofu (the water-packed kind in tubs)
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1-2 Tbsp fresh dill, chopped
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
black pepper, to taste
a few shakes of hot sauce
7-10 artichoke hearts, coarsely chopped

1/4 cup toasted pinenuts
1 sheet frozen puff pastry
olive oil for smearing

Set the puff pastry out to thaw. Put the spinach on the stove with a little water and cook, covered, until uniformly dark. In a colander, drain the tofu, and using clean hands, squish it until it resembles ricotta cheese, draining off the liquid. Put the tofu, seasonings and artichoke hearts in a bowl and mash well.

Drain the spinach in the colander. Throw a few handfuls of pine nuts in the bottom of a dry saucepan and cook, stirring for a 5 minutes, or until golden. Add the pine nuts and spinach to the tofu mixture and mix well.

Spread the mixture in the bottom of a glass baking dish. Top with the puff pastry. Smear a little olive oil on top of the puff pastry. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes, or until golden and puffed up on top.

"Neat"-balls and Spaghetti

I adapted this from the PETA Celebrity Cookbook.

1 cup TVP granules
1 cup boiling water + 1/2 veg bouillon cube
2 dashes liquid smoke
3-4 dashes Tobasco

Dissolve the bouillon cube in the boiling water. Combine the TVP, bouillon, Tobasco & liquid smoke. Let stand for 5 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed.

2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
2 Tbsp flour
1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs

Combine the yeast, flour and bread crumbs in a small bowl. Add to the TVP mixture.

1/2 tsp rosemary
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1 tsp sage
1/4 tsp salt
ground pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp onion powder

Grind the spices in a mortar and pestle. Add the spices to the TVP mixture. Form the mixture into small balls, coat with baking spray and set in a baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes at 400 degrees.

2/3 jar marinara sauce
1/2 tsp pureed chipotle pepper in adobo
2 handfuls fettucine or linguine
6 cups water

Boil the water. Drop the pasta in and cook until al dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil. Meanwhile, heat the marinara sauce. A minute or two before serving, remove from heat and stir in the "neat"-balls. Dish up the noodles, top with sauce.

Food/exercise log - May 18th

Breakfast:
- oatmeal with walnuts, flax seeds, raisins and soy milk
- orange juice w/ calcium

Lunch:
- avocado & hummus on toasted whole wheat
- raw organic carrots
- banana
- butternut squash soup

Snacks:
- 4 cups green tea
- fruit leather
- date coconut roll

Dinner:
- spaghetti & 'neat'-balls
- grapes

Exercise: 45 minutes walking (2 miles), 35 minutes weight-lifting (10-25 lb. sets)

Fresh Salsa

We don't have any salsa in the house, so I whipped this up to go on our black bean tostadas tonight. It took virtually no time and tasted marvelous.

1 large tomato, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 handful cilantro leaves
1-1/2 tsp lime juice
2 dashes onion powder

Mix all ingredients together and let sit for a few minutes to let flavors mingle.

Food/exercise log - May 10th

Breakfast:
- oatmeal with walnuts, flax seeds, raisins and soy milk
- orange juice w/ calcium

Lunch:
- curried chickpeas in relish
- pita chips
- raw organic carrots
- grapes

Snacks:
- 3 cups green tea

Dinner:
- portobello steak
- grape-orange-soy nut salad w/ honey mustard dressing
- chocolate pudding w/ raw cacao nibs
- red wine

Exercise: 50 minutes yoga (Yoga for Dummies)

Food/exercise log - May 9th

Breakfast:
- bulgur with walnuts, flax seeds, raisins and soy milk
- orange juice w/ calcium

Lunch:
- refried beans & salsa
- chips
- raw organic carrots
- pear

Snacks:
- 3 cups green tea
- baked plantain slices

Dinner:
- BBQ wheat meat
- almond green beans
- banana
- red wine

Exercise: 45 minutes weight-lifting (10-25 lb. sets)