West Indian Pumpkin with Jerk-Spiced Tempeh

(recipe from The New Vegan Cookbook by Lorna Sass)

For the tempeh:
8 oz. tempeh
3 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil, plus oil for preparing the pan
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and quartered
1 tsp. ground ginger
3/4 to 1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. salt
1 medium vidalia or other sweet onion, peeled and cut into eighths
Hot sauce

For the pumpkin:
1 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1 large green bell pepper, seeded and diced
One 15 oz. can diced tomatoes (with liquid)
1/2 to 1 cup unseasoned tomato juice, or water
3 to 4 Tbsp. marinade (reserved from the jerk-spiced tempeh)
1 to 2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. salt
2 1/2 lbs. calabaza pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

With a fork, deeply prick the tempeh about 20 times on each side.  Cut into 1/2-inch dice.  Set aside.

In a blender, combine the soy sauce, oil, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, thyme, allspice, pepper, salt, and onion.  Puree until very smooth, about 1 minute.  Add hot sauce to taste.  Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade.

Pour half of the remaining marinade into a storage container.  Add the diced tempeh.  Pour the rest of the marinade on top.  Cover, then shake gently to coat the tempeh evenly.  Set aside for 15 minutes (or refrigerate overnight).

While the tempeh is marinating, prepare the curried pumpkin:  Heat the oil in a large, heavy saucepan.  Cook the onion and green pepper over medium heat, stirring frequently, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes.  Stir in the tomatoes with their liquid, 1/2 cup tomato juice (or water), 3 Tbsp. of the reserved marinade, and the smaller amounts of curry, cinnamon, cloves, and salt.  Stir in the pumpkin.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pumpkin is tender, 20 to 25 minutes.  During this time, adjust the seasoning by adding more marinade and spices if you wish.  Add more tomato juice or water if the sauce becomes too thick.

While the pumpkin is cooking, preheat the oven to 425F.  Brush a large nonstick baking sheet or roasting pan with oil (if nonstick, line with oiled foil).  Spread the marinated tempeh in the pan in one layer.  (It's okay if some of the unabsorbed marinade ends up in the pan.)  Bake until the color deepens and the top of each piece feels fairly dry and is no longer sticky to the touch, 10 to 12 minutes.  (Do not cook the tempeh longer than 12 minutes, as it will dry out.)

To serve, spoon the curried pumpkin onto dinner plates and set the jerk-spiced tempeh on top.

(I used butternut squash for this recipe.  The spice of this is incredible!  The marinade for the tempeh is amazing!  I actually added all of the remaining marinade to the pumpkin mixture.  The recipe is written out so well - it sounds involved but is incrediby easy to follow.)

Lemony White Bean Dip

(recipe from a newspaper, not sure which one)

 

2 cans (15 oz. each) white beans, such as cannellini or great northern

2 cloves garlic, quartered

1 cup tightly packed fresh parsley leaves

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp. salt, or to taste

Drain and rinse beans.  Place beans, garlic, parsley, lemon juice, and oil in a food processor.  Process until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl once or twice as necessary.  Scrape mixture into a bowl.  Stir in salt.  Can be made several hours in advance, covered, and refrigerated.  Let come to room temperature before serving.

(So easy to make!  I brought this dip to a party, and it was a hit.)

Carrot Walnut Cookies

(recipe from Whole Foods Market)

1 cup raw unsalted walnuts
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/4 tsp. baking powder
1 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
2 carrots, grated
1 apple, cored and seeded, grated
1 very ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1/4 cup apple juice

Preheat oven to 350F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine walnuts, oats, and raisins in a food processor and pulse until finely ground.  Transfer to a bowl and stir in flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and ginger.  Add carrots, apple, banana, and apple juice and stir until combined.  Drop by rounded tablespoons an inch apart on the prepared baking sheets, making about 24 cookies.  Press down on each cookie with the back of a fork to flatten slightly.  Bake until tops and bottoms are lightly browned, 20 to 25 minutes.

(Tasty little healthy cookies!  Wholesome enough to eat for breakfast.  Quick and easy to make.)

Roasted Sweet Potato and Corn Chowder

(recipe from The New Vegan Cookbook by Lorna Sass)

2 medium sweet potatoes (about 1 lb.), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
2 Tbsp. oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 lb. frozen (rinsed and defrosted) or fresh corn kernels (about 4 cups)
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups finely diced celery
1 cup diced red onion
1/4 cup diced shallots
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
3 cups vegetable broth
1 bay leaf
1 russet potato (about 8 oz.)
2 Tbsp. minced parsley
1/2 to 1 cup unflavored soy milk (optional)

Set the oven rack in the center and preheat the oven to 425F.  Oil a large roasting pan.

Scatter the sweet potatoes in one layer in the roasting pan and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. of the oil.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Roast until tender, tossing once or twice, 15 to 20 minutes.  If you'd like to brown the sweet potatoes more deeply, set them about 5 inches below the broiling element for a minute or two.  Set aside.

Reserve 1 cup of corn kernels.  In a blender, puree the remaining corn with the water until very smooth, about 2 minutes.  Set aside.

In a heavy soup pot, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil.  Cook the celery, onion, and shallots over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until the onions are slightly softened, about 3 minutes.  Add the tomato paste and thyme and cook another minute, stirring frequently.  Add the both, pureed corn, bay leaf, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper to taste.

While bringing the chowder to a boil, peel the potato, cut it into 1/2 -inch dice, and add it to the pot.  Cover the pot and simmer until the potato is tender, 25 to 35 minutes.

Remove the bay leaf.  Add the reserved corn kernels, roasted sweet potatoes, and parsley.  Thin with soymilk, if desired.  Adjust the seasonings.  Cook (but do not boil after adding soy milk) until heated throughout.

(Delicious!)

Red Devil Cake

(recipe from The Vegan Sourcebook by Joanne Stepaniak)

2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2 tsp. double-acting nonaluminum baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. flaxseeds
1/3 cup water
1 cup diced cooked beets
1 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil (I used coconut oil)
2 tsp. apple-cider vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Lightly oil the bottom and sides of an 8-inch square baking pan.

Place the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium mixing bowl and stir them with a wire whisk until well combined.

Place the flaxseeds in a dry blender and grind them into a powder.  Add the 1/3 cup water and blend until a gummy mixture is achieved, about 30 seconds.  Add the beets, 1 cup water, canola oil, vinegar, and vanilla, and process until frothy and well blended, about 1 to 2 minutes.  Pour into the flour mixture and mix just until everything is evenly moistened.

Quickly spoon the batter into the prepared pan.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 35 to 40 minutes.  Cool on a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Frost when completely cool.  Store the frosted cake tightly covered in the refrigerator.

(This cake is not gluten-free, so is more like a traditional cake than the beet cake I posted a few years back.  I like this cake very much, have been making it for years, and it's always very popular with people.  The cookbook pairs it with a frosting made of tofu, but I prefer the chocolate avocado frosting that I made for the previous beet cake (just search "cake" on this site, and it will pop up).  This can also be made in a round cake pan with no trouble - though if you'd like a layer cake, you'll need to double the cake recipe.)

Roasted Cauliflower with Dates and Pine Nuts

(recipe from 5 Ingredient Fix cookbook)

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 8 cups)
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter (I used coconut oil)
1/3 cup pine nuts
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 cup pitted Medjool dates, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 425F.

Evenly spread the cauliflower on a baking sheet and season with salt and pepper.  Transfer to the oven and roast, tossing once with a spatula, until golden brown at the edges, about 20 minutes.

Put the butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat.  Once it's melted, add the pine nuts and cook, stirring frequently, until they're light golden brown, about 5 minutes.  Add the garlic and dates and continue cooking until the garlic and dates are softened, 2 to 3 minutes more; season with salt.

Transfer the hot cauliflower to a serving bowl, drizzle the pine nut mixture over the top, and toss to combine.  Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary and serve warm or at room temperature.

(Interesting cauliflower dish - simple and tasty.)

Yellow Gazpacho

(recipe from Real Simple magazine)

2 lbs. yellow beefsteak tomatoes, halved crosswise
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 small white onion, peeled and quartered
1 small garlic clove, peeled
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 small cucumber, diced
1 small orange or red tomato, diced

Working over a large bowl, squeeze the yellow tomato halves to release the seeds and juices.  Reserve the liquid.

Combine the squeezed yellow tomatoes and salt in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Transfer to the bowl containing the tomato pulp and juice.  Add the onion, garlic, and lemon juice to the food processor or blender and puree until smooth.  Add the onion liquid into the bowl containing the tomatoes.  Add the jalapeno, cilantro, cucumber, and diced tomato and mix well.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

(Allow time for the soup to sit in the refrigerator a while for the flavors to blend and mellow.  [The onion was a bit too strong for me after it first was made, but eased after a while in the fridge.]  This is very tasty and easy to make!  And colorful!)

Mushroom & Wild Rice Frittata

(partial recipe clipped from a magazine, not sure which one)

Wild rice:
2 cups water
1/2 cup wild rice, rinsed
1/8 tsp. salt

Frittata:
6 large eggs
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper, divided
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
2 tsp. olive oil
1 cup chopped red onion
1 Tbsp. minced fresh rosemary or 1 tsp. dried
1 lb. mixed mushrooms (cremini, white button, shiitake), sliced


To prepare wild rice, combine water, rice and salt in a small heavy saucepan; bring to a boil.  Cover, reduce heat to maintain a simmer, and cook until the rice is tender with a slight bite, 40 to 50 minutes.  Drain.

[At this point, I seem to have lost the rest of the recipe as it continued onto another page.  What follows is my own directions:]

Preheat oven to 350F.  Beat the eggs in a large bowl, set aside.  Sautee the remaining ingredients in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Once onions and mushrooms are tender, add drained rice, and stir to combine well.  Pour eggs into the skillet.  Remove the skillet from the burner and put into oven.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until eggs are set.

(Very tasty frittata!)