Roasted Potato Salad

In support of the big veg outreach effort happening at SF Pride this year, Drew and Jeff hosted a Pride Veg Outreach Party at their home last month.

Chef Jeff made some fabulous food, including bruchettas, roasted potato salad, pasta with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes, quinoa artichoke salad, Moroccan couscous salad, cupcakes, cookies, and dips.

After eating, we all wanted his secret recipes.  He modestly said there wasn’t any secret at all, that he just found them on the web. Ah, but that is the secret, isn’t it — finding a good recipe out of the gazillions that exist.

Drew and Chef Jeff

Chef Jeff was gracious enough to share a couple of these recipes with us.  He also added that the roasted potato salad is just mixed potatoes roasted with onions and bell peppers with fresh herbs.

We hope you enjoy these dishes as much as we did, and thanks again to Drew and Jeff and their co-hosts, canines Reggie, Mindy, and Theo, for hosting the fabulous party for Pride outreach volunteers.

Even if you missed the party, there’s still time to get involved with veg outreach at Pride.  Remember, love and let live.

Quinoa Artichoke Salad

Quinoa Artichoke Salad

This recipe is very flexible and forgiving; feel free to add other ingredients you like or leave things out that you don’t care for.

1 cup quinoa
½ cup red quinoa
2 Tbsp. tahini
2 Tbsp. almond butter
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar
4 large artichoke hearts in oil (chopped into small pieces)
1 small red onion
4 green onions, chopped finely
1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into ¼” pieces
½ cup pitted kalmata or other olives, chopped finely
1 Fuji  apple (seeded and core removed, and cut into ¼” chunks)
2 Roma tomatoes (seeded and cut into ¼” pieces)
handful of chopped cashew nuts
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook both types of quinoa in approx. 2 cups water.  Allow to cool slightly.  Mix tahini, almond butter, and balsamic vinegars.  Dilute with a bit of warm water if very thick.  Stir this mixture into the warm quinoa.  Add artichoke hearts, onion, green onion, red bell pepper, olives, apple and tomato.  Check seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed.  Sprinkle cashews over salad when ready to serve.

Adapted from recipe “Quinoa Artichoke “Special Mix” from vegweb.com.

Moroccan Couscous Salad

Moroccan Cous Cous Salad

3 cups cooked Couscous.
I medium yellow or white onion, chopped finely
4 Tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. ground coriander
Pinch of saffron (optional)
¾ cup white wine
¾ cup dried currants
4 chopped green onions
½ cup toasted blanched almond pieces

To make couscous: Bring 1 2/3 cup water to boil in wide pan with ½ tsp. salt.  Add 1 1/3 cup dry couscous. Immediately turn off heat.  Allow to sit for 5 minutes.  Fluff with fork.

Heat olive oil in sauté pan over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook approximately 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Lower heat to medium if onions start to scorch.  Add cinnamon and coriander; stir approximately one additional minute.  Add white wine and saffron; cook over medium high heat until wine is reduced by half.  Add currants and cook an additional minute.  Add this mixture to the warm couscous.  Add green onions and almonds.  Serve at room temperature.

Mother’s Day seems to revolve around a big breakfast, and that just doesn’t work for me. Old fashioned breakfasts are made from lots of eggs and milk. Eggs and milk come from mother cows and mother chickens. It’s the food their bodies create for their babies, but we take it away to give ourselves heart disease and cancer. Could anything be LESS celebratory of Mother’s Day?!?

This year, try some vegan goodies for your mom (or for yourself, if all your “kids” are furry and can’t be trusted to use the stove).

Pancakes are always a winner. The following recipe is for the classic, blueberry pancakes, and they’re pretty hard to mess up. Serve with vegan butter (Earth Balance), maple syrup, sliced fruit (grill it if you want to be really fancy!), and some strong coffee or tea with Silk soy creamer. Add a side of vegan mock “bacon” that you buy at the store, or make your own (recipe below).

If your mom prefers savory, try this recipe for breakfast burritos:

And if your mom is a runner, like mine, give her some more carbs! Try a heaping plate of hashbrowns with tofu scramble. Recipes below, and don’t forget the ketchup and Tabasco sauce!

Last but not least, I wanted to share a great local resource with you. 101 Cookbooks is an award-winning recipe blog written by San Francisco native Heidi Swanson. I *love* her vegan recipes. The site is veg, heavily vegan, with gorgeous photographs and idea. Here is a yummy-sounding cookie recipe that I’m going to make for my mom. It’s worth 10 minutes of your time to browse through Heidi’s vegan recipes. You’ll be inspired.

Have a wonderful Mother’s Day Weekend!

Blueberry Pancakes
Better Than Bacon
Hashbrowns
Tofu Scramble

Blueberry Pancakes
2 cups white flour, preferably unbleached
3 Tbsp. sugar, preferably Sucanat
3 Tbsp. baking powder, preferably aluminum-free
1 tsp. sea salt
2 cups vanilla soy milk
3 Tbsp. canola or safflower oil
1/2 cup frozen blueberries
1/2 cup fresh blueberries

-Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and sift together. Add the soy milk and oil and mix until the batter is smooth.
-Ladle the batter onto a hot pancake griddle. Add frozen blueberries. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side.
-Serve with fresh blueberries.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

Better Than Bacon

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast flakes
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 Tbsp. liquid smoke
1/2 lb. extra-firm tofu

-Mix the soy sauce, yeast flakes, maple syrup and liquid smoke together in a shallow container. With a cheese slicer, shave the tofu into very thin slices. Marinate the tofu in the soy sauce mixture for 1 day or more.

-To cook, heat a lightly oiled, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, fry the tofu slices until they are golden-brown and almost crispy on both sides, scraping underneath the slices as you turn them with a sturdy spatula. Turn several times during cooking and let cool in the pan; the slices will crisp up as they cool.

Hashbrowns

1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 Tbsp. oil
2 large potatoes, grated
Salt and pepper, to taste

-Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil until the onions are soft.
-Add the potatoes to the onion and garlic, and cook until tender.
-Add the salt and pepper, to taste.

Tofu Scramble

Mix 4 Tb of  Scramble Seasoning mix (see below) with 1 block of crumbled Mori-Nu silken tofu and 1 block of crumbled fresh, firm tofu.

Sauté with your favorite veggies. Serve with toast, homefries, fakin’ bacon and of course, lots of coffee with Silk soy creamer.

Taste before serving—some people prefer a stronger seasoning, if so, just add an extra tablespoon.

Scramble Seasoning Mix

Make a big batch and keep in your cupboard. If you’re eating less tofu these days, mix the seasoning with potatoes and vegetables and scramble that—yum!

2 and 2/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tb onion powder
2 Tb paprika
1 tsp celery seed
1 Tb turmeric
3 Tb salt
1 tsp pepper

–Mix and store in a sealed container. Keeps indefinitely.

For me, Team Vegan is about to start up again (April 26: mark your calendars now!), so it’s time to think about food as fuel. This year our team will train together for 13 weeks to run either a 5k (3 miles), a Half Marathon (13.1 miles) or a Marathon (26.2 miles!). Crazy, I know, but with the right food you can run 100 miles!*

Fill up on good vegan food. A big bowl of oatmeal in the morning contains very few calories, is naturally vegan and free of cholesterol, and you’ll be too full to nibble on Krispy Kremes. Doesn’t hurt that it’s cheap, too! When you buy oats instead of coffee-shop sugar-bomb muffins, you’ll have extra money to sponsor a Team Vegan runner. Sweet!

I love my oats during the week. But let’s face it: we can’t be all good, all the time. Sometimes it’s fun to splurge a bit on a Sunday morning. Below is a link to a great French toast recipes, and my recipe for tofu scramble. Both recipes are yummy enough for breakfast in bed, but still healthier (and cheaper) than hitting your local greasy spoon.

*Although it’s true that long-time vegan Scott Jurek routinely wins the 100 mile Western States race, he doesn’t just eat the right food. He also trains. A lot. Please don’t try to run 100 miles after eating your oatmeal tomorrow.

Steel Cut Oats

If you’re trying to get outside more this summer, you’ll have less time to cook—so plan ahead. Every Sunday I make a gigantic pot of steel-cut oatmeal, to feed me for the next week. Steel-cut oats are also called Irish Oats. They’re tough little things, totally different from the quick oats we’re used to. You can’t really eat quick oats the next day. Ick. But Irish Oats cook for a good 30 minutes and make a fabulous thick porridge that reheats beautifully. 30 seconds in the microwave, some sliced banana, voila: a perfect breakfast.

Make a big pot on Sunday so that your mornings are taken care of. For those of us adding training to our already busy lives, we need to find food that is both fast AND healthy. I cook 2 cups of oats in 8 cups of water and that lasts me through the week. Sometimes I add a handful of raisins, a chopped apple or two, or a whole cinnamon stick. Every morning I spoon out my serving, heat it, and top with banana. Sometimes walnuts, cinnamon, more apple, things like that. Not only is this convenient and healthy, it’sfilling. A big bowl of oats will keep you from grabbing a donut or fatty muffin, it will give you loads of energy for the day, and it won’t give you any fat for those hips.

Compare this: One donut has around 340 calories and enough fat to condition your hair. One big bowl of oatmeal has only 140 calories and no fat!! Donuts are fatty and calorie-dense, but not filling. Eat a donut and 30 minutes later you’ll be hungry for more junk. Oatmeal is the opposite. Filling and packed with nutrients and energy, but not fat and calories. When you’re full you don’t have to worry about giving in to junk food temptations.

Icing on the cake: When you eat foods like oatmeal you don’t have to measure or count calories. The more you eat, the better–and you’ll still lose weight if you eat oatmeal instead of donuts! Team Vegan will be sharing lots more energy food ideas like this. I’m not suggesting the team won’t be enjoying beer and French fries on Saturday nights, after our long runs. I’m suggesting that the team eat less fat in general so that training goes better and our junk food nights are that much more enjoyable!

Tofu Scramble

Scramble Seasoning Mix

Make a big batch of this spice mix and keep in your cupboard.

2 and 2/3 cup nutritional yeast
2 Tb onion powder
2 Tb paprika
1 tsp celery seed
1 Tb turmeric
3 Tb salt
1 tsp pepper

–Mix and store in a sealed container. Keeps indefinitely.

–General use: Mix 4 Tb of this mix with 1 block of Mori-Nu silken tofu and 1 block of fresh, firm tofu. Sauté with your favorite veggies. Serve with toast, home fries, fakin’ bacon and of course, lots of coffee with Silk soy creamer. Taste before serving—some people prefer a stronger seasoning, if so, just add an extra tablespoon.

And last but not least, here is an easy recipe for vegan French toast from one of my favorite activists in Washington. Enjoy spring and see you outside!

I decided to double it so I could bring one cake to the office and keep one at home to score points with the honey. I purchased twice the amount of carrots, and grated them in my food processor. Unfortunately, I did not purchase twice the other ingredients! The result? Keep reading for a carrot and lentil soup recipe.

The cake came out delish. In fact, it’s one of the best carrot cake recipes I’ve tried! Who would have guessed? I didn’t make the frosting. I followed the cake recipes just as it was listed and it came out moist and perfectly spiced. Yum. Just goes to show that fancier is not always better!

Grated carrots oxidize easily, especially if they’re not peeled (mine weren’t). So I had to use up my extras right away. I made a salad with grated carrots sprinkled in, but I still had a bunch left over. A heaping cup.

I scrounged in the cupboards and came out with one cup of red lentils, one potato, some ginger and some miso.

I brought 3 cups of water to a boil and added the lentils. Then I added the chopped potato. After that came back to a boil, I added 1 Tb fresh chopped ginger and all the carrots. About 10 minutes later everything was tender and creamy. I added 2 Tb miso and salt and pepper to taste. I blended it with a hand-held blender, but it would been good without that step. It made a wonderful soup. Rich and creamy, filling, super healthy. Red lentils cook down into a naturally creamy puree, so you never would have guessed it was a fat-free soup.

I ate carrot-lentil soup and carrot cake for the next couple of days, with carrots on my salads as well. I looked a little orange, but with a black dress and some rhinestone earrings it went over quite well. The husband didn’t notice because he was too busy scarfing down carrot cake.

Carrot-Red Lentil Soup

1 cup dried red lentils
3 cups water
1 large potato, diced
1 Tb chopped fresh ginger
2 Tb miso paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Carrot Cake

For the cake:
1/4 cup cinnamon applesauce* (or equivalent substitute for 2 eggs)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine, softened
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cup vanilla soy milk
1 cup finely grated carrots (or 1 large jar strained-carrot baby food)
1 cup walnuts, chopped

(If you don’t have cinnamon applesauce, use 1/4 cup applesauce + 1 tsp cinnamon)

• Preheat the oven to 325°F.
• Grease and flour a 9-inch square pan. Combine the first 9 ingredients, mixing well.
• Add the carrots and the walnuts. Pour the batter into the pan, spreading evenly.
• Bake for approximately 45 minutes. Cool before frosting.

Frosting
8 oz. nondairy cream cheese (try Tofutti brand)
1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. orange extract

• Combine the cream cheese and the margarine.
• Slowly add the powdered sugar and stir to combine.
• Add the vanilla and orange extracts and stir to combine.

Makes 10 servings

The main dish is the big question. Tofurky? Field Roast? A big stuffed squash? That’s up to you and your personal tastes. My favorite Thanksgiving involved a six hour hike up a snowy mountain, followed by a feast of latkes (potato pancakes) with apple sauce and vegan sour cream. 3 carefully-chosen people and 7 dogs who were not actually carefully-chosen, being rescues, but they were well-loved. That holiday was so easy, and so fun—none of the stress, misery, heart attacks and animal suffering I was used to—that it set the tone and I haven’t celebrated a “traditional” Thanksgiving since.

If you’re celebrating with a crowd, try to arrange one of each centerpiece foods (Tofurky, Field Roast, stuffed pumpkin). Have a taste test and then you’ll know what you like in the future.

Plan ahead–read through these recipes and check out www.vegcooking.com for a huge new Thanksgiving food feature.  Don’t wait until the week before the holiday–the more you plan, the more you’ll enjoy this holiday of delicious food, friends and family!

Holiday Winter Squash
Mashed Potatoes
Cashew Gravy
Cornbread and Pecan Stuffing
Pumpkin Patch “Cheesecake”

Holiday Winter Squash

Bake an acorn or kobocha squash, whole, at 350 degrees until very tender (about 30 minutes).  Let cool, then cut open.

Discard the seeds and scoop out the flesh into a casserole dish.

Top with chopped, roasted and salted pecans and a drizzle of Earth Balance.

Reheat in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes.  Couldn’t be easier!

Mashed Potatoes

Serves 6 hungry people. The garlic does not leave a strong garlic flavor—it sweetens and mellows as it cooks with the potatoes. It lends more of a natural creaminess than anything (cooked garlic is soft and mashes into a nice creamy paste). Cooking it with the potatoes saves time, as opposed to roasting it separately and then adding it.

2 and 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, or red creamers (about 12 mid-sized potatoes)

1 full head of garlic, peeled but not chopped (about 10 whole cloves)
¼ cup extra virgin oil
¼ cup unsweetened soy milk
1 Tb salt

• Chop the potatoes and put in a large pot. Cover with water.
• Add the whole garlic cloves. Bring to a boil, then simmer until potatoes and garlic are both very soft.
• Drain well. The less moisture left in the potatoes and garlic, the fluffier they will be.
• Add the oil, milk, and salt. Mash well. BE CAREFUL: If you over-mix mashers, you end up with glue. Really. Do not mix in the food processor. I almost got fired for doing that—fall of 1990, Amelio’s Restaurant on Powell. Anyone remember that restaurant? Using a masher by hand is best, but you can use a Kitchenaid if you’re careful.
• You can replace the oil with vegetable stock. You can add more oil, milk or stock if you need, and more salt. You can add chopped fresh herbs. You can use half regular potatoes and half yams.

Gravy

2/3 cup raw cashews

¼ cup nutritional yeast
1/3 cup arrowroot powder (cornstarch will also work)
1 Tb miso
3 and ½ cups water
2 Tb tamari or soy sauce
½ onion, peeled
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped

1 tsp sage (optional)

• Soak the cashews in the water for one hour.
• Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend very well
• Pour into a sauce pan and heat over medium heat, stirring often, until it comes to a boil. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then taste it. You can adjust it by adding:
  *water if it’s too thick
  *arrowroot slurry if it’s too thin (stir 1 Tb arrowroot into ¼ COLD water, then add to gravy)

  *more tamari if you want a stronger flavor or darker color

Cornbread and Pecan Stuffing

This is not for the faint of heart. By that I mean—this is not a light and delicate dish. You can make it with vegetable stock instead of Earth Balance if you eat McDougall (if you omit Earth Balance, increase the veg stock to 2 cups total), and it comes out great. But I am giving you the non-McDougall version because I assume (hope) that you will be sharing this with meat-eaters. It’s very rich and filling. It’s one of those dishes that make me wonder why people are so obsessed with “main dishes.” This has all the calories, protein, and holiday flavor and fat you need (for several weeks). Add some green veg or salad and you’ve got a fabulous meal. A stuffing recipe that will truly stuff you.

First, make the cornbread:

1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup plus 1 Tb water
¼ cup vegetable oil
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tsp salt

• Heat the oven to 350.
• In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, mix together the wet ingredients.
• Add the wet to the dry and mix as little as possible. Do not overmix. Just fold, gently, with a rubber spatula.
• Pour into an oiled 9-inch cast iron skillet or 8-inch square baking pan or 9-inch pie plate. Bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean.

NOTE: I would recommend making 2-3 times this recipe, and I would also recommend making it several days ahead of time to make your holiday cooking easier. It’s OK if it’s a little stale, in fact, that will make a better stuffing.

Stuffing (easily doubled or tripled):

1 large yellow onion, diced
1 bunch celery, trimmed and then diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tub of Earth Balance (that is not a typo)

1 recipe cornbread, above
1 loaf of your favorite bread, stale if possible, cut or torn into chunks
1 cup vegetable stock (or more!)
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped
1 Tb dried sage
2 Tb fresh chopped parsley
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 cup fresh, whole cranberries or 1/2 cup dried cranberries (optional, and currants also work)

• Melt the Earth Balance in a large stock pot. Saute the onion, celery and garlic until the onions are translucent. More of a sweat than a saute, really.
• Turn off the heat and add the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. If it seems too dry, add more melted Earth Balance or veggie stock, or some of both. Yes, that is a lot of fat. You’ll know why when you taste it.
• Stuff into a baked pumpkin, or individual delicate squashes, or a casserole dish. Do NOT stuff into a dead bird. Bake for a good 30 minutes at 350 degrees. You want the inside piping hot and a little soft, with the outside golden brown.
• You may also add sauteed mushrooms, any kind, for extra flavor and richness.

Pumpkin Patch “Cheesecake”

This is my absolute favorite pumpkin pie recipe, and it’s also one of the easiest!

12 oz. firm Mori-Nu silken tofu
8 oz. nondairy cream cheese (try Tofutti brand)
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 prepared vegan graham cracker crust

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Puree all the ingredients (except the pie crust) in a food processor. Pour the filling into the graham cracker crust and bake for 50 minutes.

Allow to cool for 30 minutes, cover with plastic wrap or the top of the pie container, and refrigerate for 6 hours or overnight before serving.

Other Holiday Food Resources

- Here is a lovely spinach, roasted beet and orange salad [link]

- A stuffed pumpkin recipe [link]

- Enter “vegan + recipes + holiday” into google or your favorite search engine for countless other main dish recipes.

- Keep checking www.VegCooking.com for more holiday food ideas.

- Try this Veggie Pate as a centerpiece Thanksgiving Loaf. It has all the seasonings and taste of Thanksgiving. YUM.

- You’ll find lots of vegan holiday desserts at Rainbow and Whole Foods (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, chocolate cake) etc.

- Make your holiday really special and order a gorgeous, scrumptious, home-made vegan ice cream cake from MaggieMudd in San Francisco.

- The original Millennium cookbook has a fabulous recipe on page 140: Pumpkins stuffed with sage polenta and seitan bourguignon. It’s nice served in smaller, individual pumpkins or delicate squashes. You can make it exactly as is, or save a step—skip the polenta and just do the bourguignon (a vegan version of the classic French red wine and beef stew). I’ve made this several times and it always gets rave reviews.

Remember: Olive oil or Earth Balance can replace the butter and the turkey fat drippings. Unsweetened soy milk replaces milk and cream. Vegetable stock replaces chicken, beef or veal stock. EnerG egg replacer replaces eggs. If you’re not sure, take a few minutes to search the internet and you’ll find what you’re looking for. There’s no shortage of vegan recipes, holiday or not, on the internet these days.

Well, you might actually be able to relax.  I was lucky enough to attend one of those traditional Midwestern weddings yesterday, and I didn’t bring so much as a single peanut.

It’s 2008, not 1998, and vegan weddings are here!  VegNews features them every year. There’s a long list of websites devoted to DIY vegan weddings.

Even though many of the older aunts and uncles were long-term meat-eaters, the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception were all 100% vegan.  I liked how the bride and groom didn’t make a big deal out of it.  They simply assumed that their loved ones would enjoy the delicious vegan food and be respectful about it.

The night before the wedding they served a huge meal of “Cincinnati Chili.”  This is chili served over noodles, with grated cheese, chopped onions, oyster crackers and pinto beans as toppings.  All were done vegan.  They also served appetizers of bruschetta (recipe below), hummus and guacamole and chips, fresh fruit, and one more regional specialty:  Cream cheese with red pepper jelly poured over top.  At least I think it’s regional.  I’d never had it before and I’d never been to Cincinnati so I’ve labeled it a Cincinnati specialty.

The groom’s father made an incredible Greek salad with marinated tofu in place of the feta.

Desserts were an assortment of fresh fruit pies, made by a family friend who has a pie business in the South.  She drove up with 18 peach, blackberry, and apple pies in her back seat—made from scratch, made with fruit from her trees, and made vegan for the occasion.  There were also cookies and pineapple upside down cake.

The wedding reception was catered.  The appetizers were amazing.  Assorted sushi, grilled kebobs with new potatoes and seitan, finger sandwiches with tofu egg salad and BBQ.  Vegan wines and beer, a stunning bride in a non-silk dress, and a luscious vegan wedding cake sat while we all enjoyed the entrée buffet:  “Turkey” tetrazzini, enchilada pie, salad with yummy dressings, garlic bread, and more grilled seitan.

I don’t have to tell you how much I enjoyed the food.  The icing on the cake, though, was the positive attitudes of the guests.  Everyone there complimented the food, asked questions about how it was made, went up for seconds, and made comments like, “Oh, I’ve been trying to cut back on meat…I know I should…” and, “You’ve been vegan for how long?  Wow, that’s great, I know I should clean up my diet,” and, “KFC Canada is adding a vegan item?  Really??  That’s great!  If it comes to the US I’ll try it, the food at this wedding is delicious and I’d love to try more vegan stuff!”

I don’t know how much of the compliments were from the bride and groom’s great attitudes (and their parents), and how much was from our changing society.  Ellen and Portia’s vegan wedding was just on the cover of People the week before this wedding, the word “vegan” is all over, there’s more yummy vegan food on the market than ever before, and it’s a lot easier to both eat vegan and discuss vegan.  Whatever the cause, an event I thought would be stressful turned into an absolute blast of a weekend.

If you have a wedding in your future, I hope you’ll stick to your guns and make it vegan, no matter what anyone says.  It’s *your* wedding, it’s easy to do these days, and it will be fabulous vegan outreach for animals!

The recipe below, for vegan bruschetta, is a great all-purpose appetizer.  All the guests raved about it at the wedding.  It’s easy to make and easy to serve.

Bruschetta with Pesto and Tomatoes
1 batch pesto (below)
1 loaf French bread, sliced and lightly toasted
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced in half moons
1 block vegan mozzarella (optional)
1 jar vegan parmesan (optional)

–Toast the bread slices before making the bruschetta.  You can even toast them the day before.
–Spread each piece of bread with a layer of pesto.  Top with a tomato slice.  Sprinkle with either (or both) of the cheeses, if you’re using (try without first—the pesto is really good on it’s own!).
–Serve cold like that, or put under the broiler for 2-3 minutes if you’d like.  Enjoy right away!

Pesto
2 bunches basil
2 bunches Italian parsley
1 and ½ cup mixed nuts (walnuts, almonds, sun seeds, pine nuts)
½ cup nutritional yeast
6 whole garlic cloves
2 tsp salt (at least)
½ tsp pepper (at least)
¼ cup lemon juice
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (at least)

–In a food processor, process the nuts and garlic until finely minced.
–Add the herbs, yeast, salt, pepper, lemon juice and process.
–Pour in the olive oil while it’s mixing and stop the machine when it’s the consistency you like (depending on what you’re using it for, you may want it thick and chunky or very smooth and thin).
–Taste and adjust the seasoning. It’s a very personal thing, so follow your taste buds and add more salt if you want, or more lemon or more nutritional yeast.
–Cover tightly and keep in the fridge.
–It freezes well, make extra!

Cindy and Tom set the standard for effective advocacy.  They are positive and fun, active and glowing with health, and oh my can they cook.  They make it hard for meat-eaters to not like veganism!  They spend a lot of time and money feeding their non-veg acquaintances mouth-watering meals, and they’re just as generous when a hungry activist comes knocking.

When I first got to their house, they made fresh veg BLT’s and orange creamsicle drinks.  The BLT’s you can imagine—just use vegan mayo and your favorite faux bacon.  The drink deserves a recipe, and I have it here, but keep in mind these measurements are only guidelines.  Please taste and adjust to your own taste buds.

Orange Creamsicle Drinks

Plain sparkling water
Orange juice
Vanilla syrup (like they use for coffee drinks)
Soy or rice milk (soy really works better for this).

For each serving:
2 cups sparking water
1 cup orange
1 squirt vanilla syrup
½ cup soymilk.

Taste, stir, serve over ice.  Perfect with the BLT’s on a hot day!  When they pulled a platter of fresh Mighty-O vegan donuts out for dessert I thought that was that.  Life couldn’t get any better, sitting out by their beautiful organic garden, eating this yummy food, surrounded by their sweet rescued animals.

But then dinner came along (after a good hike to get hungry again).  Cindy made the following recipe from Veganomicon, the new cookbook that I keep hearing buzz about.  I wish they had given it a name that was pronounceable and spell-able, if only to make it more accessible to people looking for it on the web, but the recipes sure seem to be winners!

If I had seen this recipe I would have skipped right over it.  It sounds a bit heavy, a bit “blah.”  I’m glad Cindy made it because it was absolutely delicious.  She served it with brown rice, an amazing kale salad, and good bread.

As if that wasn’t enough, she also served Field Roast meat loaf (AMAZING!) with mashed potatoes and gravy.  Dessert was chocolate cream pie with raspberry sauce (and wonderful conversation with 2 brilliant and dedicated vegan veterinarians as well as Cindy and Tom). Sweet!

Braised Seitan with Brussels, Kale and Sun-Dried Tomatoes 
From:  Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook

2 Tbs olive oil
6 shallots, sliced thinly
2 C seitan sliced into bite size pieces
1/2 lb Brussels sprouts, quartered (2+ cups)
4 cloves garlic, minced (Cindy added extra of all the garlic, herbs and spices)
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried tarragon
1/2 tsp sea salt
Several pinches of freshly ground black pepper
1/2 (or more) C sun-dried tomatoes chopped into bite size pieces
2 C vegetable broth
1/4 C red wine (Cindy skipped this and increased the veggie broth)
4 C chopped kale

Preheat a large skillet.  Sauté the shallots and seitan in olive oil for 7 minutes.  Add Brussels sprouts and sauté for 3 more minutes.  (add more oil if needed)  Add garlic, herbs, salt and pepper and sauté for another minute.  Mix in the sun-dried tomatoes.

Add vegetable broth and wine.  Once boiling, add the chopped kale.   Stir until kale is wilted.

Cover and simmer for 5-7 minutes.  Taste, adjust salt and serve.

Very good served over brown rice or mashed potatoes.

The menu:

Crostini with heirloom tomatoes and fresh basil, some with FYH vegan mozzarella, some with extra virgin olive oil
Roast asparagus spears with lemon
“Crab” cakes with lemon-dill dipping sauce
Caesar salad
Vegan Chicken and Wild Mushrooms in White Wine Butter Sauce
Herb-roasted New Potatoes
Swiss chard with Balsamic
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Brownies with Two Kinds of Vegan Ice Cream and Fresh Strawberries

I’m including the recipe for the “crab” cakes here, but I also have to include a confession. I totally cheated on the dessert. Believe me, I had every intention of making a rich chocolate dessert from scratch, but then one week before the dinner I found myself eating a brownie from Allison’s Gourmet. If you haven’t tried her treats…it’s time you did. So the recipe for dessert is right here. All of her treats are scrumptious, vegan, and organic. But her brownies are from another world.

Old Bay Tofu “Crab” Cakes
The recipe is from Chef Tal Ronnen, the founder of VegAdvantage and the chef for Oprah! They’re delicious and easy.

Try to plan ahead so you can make this the day before—it’s much easier to cook when it’s had a chance to firm up in the fridge.

For the cakes:

½ cup onions, finely diced
½ cup carrots, finely diced
2 Tb olive oil
2 tsp minced garlic
2# firm tofu
1.5 Tb cornstarch
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1/8 cup white wine
1 Tb salt
1 tsp pepper
Juice of 1 lime

–Sauté the onions and carrots in olive until soft, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute longer. Cool.

–Add the remaining ingredients, mix well (I use a food processor), cool in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (preferably overnight).

For the dredge:

1.5 cups unsweetened soymilk
1.5 cups flour
1.5 cups breadcrumbs
3 Tb Old Bay seasoning
1 tsp salt
Canola oil for sautéing

–Remove the tofu mixture from the fridge and form into small cakes, approximately 2 oz, by hand.

–Put the flour in a bowl.

–Mix the breadcrumbs and Old Bay, put in a bowl.

–Mix the soymilk and salt, put in a bowl.

–Line the bowls up in this order: Flour, soymilk, crumbs.

–Dip each cake in the flour, then the milk, then the crumbs.

–Sauté on medium heat in the oil, until both sides are golden brown. Keep warm in the oven. Serve with the dipping sauce. They re-heat beautifully.

Dipping sauce:

1 cup veganaise or Nayonaise
2 Tb Dijon mustard
1 Tb dill
2 Tb lemon juice

–mix well, taste, adjust the seasoning and serve chilled.

When we eat or serve boring food, we’re doing more harm than good. If our friends eat our boring vegan food they get nervous about the whole vegan thing and become more resistant to hearing about animal suffering. Who wants to go from BBQ burgers and chocolate cake to unseasoned brown rice and carob bars? That’s a terrifying idea to a carnivore and he’ll resist the message in order to protect himself from bad food.

Give a carnivore a delicious vegan meal, though, and watch those mental brick walls crumble.

Below are two super-easy recipes that fit the bill.

Mushroom Barley Soup
Curried Red Lentil and Cauliflower Salad

The trick is to learn how to cook grains properly (click here for some tips, but cooking them more often is the best way to learn) and use seasonings. Don’t be afraid of salt and herbs and spices. Add more if you think it needs it, experiment, and write down your favorite changes. These are both good recipes to multiply so you have lots to eat throughout the week.

Mushroom Barley Soup
Recipe from The McDougall Program for Maximum Weight Loss

6 1/2 cups water
1 cup pearled barley
1 onion — chopped
2 Tb soy sauce
1 Tb dried parsley
2 tsp dill weed
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper
1/2 tsp wasabi powder
1/2 pound fresh mushrooms — sliced
2 cups shredded cabbage

-Place the water, barley, onion and seasonings in a large pot. Cover and
cook over medium heat for 30 minutes.
-Add the mushrooms and cabbage and cook for another 30 minutes.
-Taste, adjust seasonings if needed, serve.

Curried Red Lentil and Cauliflower Salad

2 cups red lentils, picked through
2 cups water or vegetable stock
1 onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 Tbsp curry powder, to taste (some curry powders are spicier than others)
¼ cup white wine or water
1 head of cauliflower cut into florets
1 Tb balsamic vinegar
2 Tb soy sauce
1 small apple, chopped fine
¼ cup currants

-Cook the lentils in the water until they are tender and still whole.
-Meanwhile, sauté the onions and garlic in the wine for 3 minutes. Then add the curry powder and cauliflower florets. Cook, stirring, until the cauliflower is tender-crisp.
-When the lentils are done, mix in a bowl with the cauliflower, spices, apple and currants. Season with the balsamic and soy sauce.

February is National Wedding Month, National Time Management Month, National Cherry Pie Month and International Boost Self Esteem Month!

What does that all add up to? Soup!

Soup is always satisfying. It’s healthy—and love is hard without health. It’s excellent for time management—throw a bunch of yummy stuff in a pot, catch up on e-mail while it’s simmering, serve and enjoy. It’s also hard to mess up so if you’re a nervous cook, a pot of soup can give you that confidence boost.

Most people are thinking of complicated, gourmet meals this month for Valentine’s Day. All the restaurants have special dinners for $100 a pop and the cooking blogs are posting dishes that take three days to make. I believe all that stress, shopping, and prepping leads to couples fighting, not couples loving, and filling up on rich exotic ingredients will most likely just make you want to go to sleep so your body can digest in peace.

About this time last year I was busy cooking fussy meals for a local hunk. They did OK—I mean, he didn’t run away or anything–but it was a pot of simple minestrone that finally made him mine (and cherry pie).

Here are two rich and delicious soups that are easy as pie, great on cold winter nights, yet slightly “special” for a romantic evening, and the pie, too.

Lemon Corn Soup
Mushroom Soup
Cherry Pie

Lemon Corn Soup

1 fresh lemongrass stalk
1 large sweet onion, chopped
4 T olive oil
1 1/2 – 2 lbs squash, in bite size pieces (butternut recommended)
2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
5 cups water
1 Tb sea salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
1 1/2 t no-salt herb seasoning blend (your preference)

• smash lemongrass stalk to release flavor but leave intact
• cook lemongrass and chopped onion in olive oil until onion is softened
• add water
• add squash and corn
• add salt, pepper, seasoning
• bring to boil, then simmer for 10 minutes
• remove lemongrass stalk
• eat as is, or puree first.

Mushroom Soup

3 cups water
1/2 cashew butter (I use unsalted)
1 1/2 t. salt
2 cups fresh mushrooms (portabella are excellent and frozen work fine too)
3 T. arrowroot powder
1 1/2 t. organic herb no-salt seasoning (or herb mix of your own preference)
optional: add a bit of roasted garlic

• sauté fresh mushrooms in a bit of water and olive oil
• add 1 cup of the water and warm and then add cashew butter so that it melts in
• add the rest of the water and salt, cornstarch, and seasonings and cook until it thickens

Enjoy! Also tastes great with a mix of fresh vegetables added and/or steamed chopped broccoli.

Here is the easiest, cheating-est, yummiest cherry pie recipe I know:

Cherry Pie

Buy two pre-made frozen vegan pie shells.
2 cans pitted tart cherries
juice from 1/2 lemon
4 Tb arrowroot
1 cup sugar

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Drain the cherry juice into a pot on the stove and whisk in the arrowroot. Gently heat to a simmer.
• Add the sugar, lemon juice, and cherries.
• Pour into one of the pie crusts (it’s OK if it’s still warm). Take the other pie shell out of the metal pan and place on top of the cherry pie. It’s OK if it’s not flat. It will bake down and be perfect.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for about 25 minutes (until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling).

Hint: Bake on a cookie sheet to avoid bubbling cherry juice on your oven floor.