Quinoa Salad with Spring Vegetables

(recipe from Saveur magazine)

1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 cup red quinoa
1/2 cup white wine
2 sprigs each tarragon and thyme (I used dried herbs)
1 cup frozen lima beans
1 cup frozen peas
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
Salt and pepper, to taste
5 radishes, sliced

In a medium saucepan, melt the coconut oil.  Add the quinoa and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until toasted, 2 minutes.  Add 1 1/2 cups water, the wine, and the herbs and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 20 minutes.  Discard the herb sprigs.  Cool the quinoa to room temperature.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan of salted boiling water, cook the lima beans for 2 minutes.  Add the peas and cook for 1 minute longer.  Drain and transfer to a bowl of ice water; drain again.

In a large bowl, whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, mustard and honey; season with salt and pepper.  Stir in the quinoa, lima beans, peas and radishes.  Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Massaged Kale & Wild Rice Salad

(Recipe from Amazing Grass)

2 cups baby kale
3 Tbsp. olive oil, plus a drizzle for massaging
1 large cucumber, peeled and diced
1 large grapefruit, peeled, segmented and chopped
1 cup cooked wild rice
1/4 cup diced red onion
Juice of 1 large lemon
2 tsp. honey
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. chopped raw walnuts
Large pinch fresh lemon zest
Salt and pepper to taste

Using your hands, massage the kale with a drizzle of olive oil in a large bowl.  Add the cucumber, grapefruit, rice and onion.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey, and cayenne pepper; sea salt and pepper to taste; whisk to combine.  Drizzle over the salad mixture and toss to combine.  Top with walnuts and lemon zest and serve.

Roasted Lemon Cauliflower with Walnuts

(recipe from Amazing Grass)

1 large head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
Juice of 1 large lemon
Large pinch cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
2 Tbsp. finely chopped red onion
3 Tbsp. chopped raw walnuts
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 450F.  Toss the cauliflower with the coconut oil, lemon juice, and cayenne and bake on a baking pan for 30 minutes.  Stir in the parsley and onion.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve topped with the walnuts.

Kale Apple Salad with Maple Balsamic Dressing

(recipe from Amazing Grass)

2 cups baby kale
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 large apple, diced
2 1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. chopped raw almonds
1 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large bowl, combine the kale, quinoa, and apple.  In a small bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, and maple syrup; season to taste with salt & pepper.  Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to combine.  Garnish with almonds and basil and toss once more before serving.

Spicy Chili Beans with Tempeh and Dried Peaches

(recipe from The Vegan Gourmet by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler & Mindy Toomay)

2 cups dried pinto beans
1 cup dried adzuki beans
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried red chili flakes
6 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large white onion, coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. mustard seeds
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. chili powder
8 oz. tempeh, crumbled
1/2 tsp. salt
1 can (4oz.) chopped green chilies
1/2 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice
1 can (28 oz.) chopped tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped dried peaches or apricots
1 Tbsp. molasses

Sort the beans carefully and discard any small stones or discolored beans.  Soak the two types of beans together in plenty of water at room temperature several hours or overnight.  Drain off the soaking water and rinse the beans, then place in a stockpot with 10 cups of water, bay leaves, chili flakes, and half of the chopped garlic.  Simmer over low heat until beans are barely tender - about 1 to 1 1/2 hours - adding more hot water, if necessary, to keep the beans submerged.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Sauté the onion, the remaining garlic, oregano, mustard seeds, cumin, chili powder, and tempeh.  Add 1/4 tsp. of the salt and stir and sauté until the onion is becoming limp and the tempeh is nicely browned, about 10 minutes.

When the beans are tender, remove the bay leaves and stir in the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt.  Add the tempeh mixture, orange juice, tomatoes and their juice, green chilies, peaches, and molasses.  Simmer, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes.  Serve hot.

Chipotle Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Lime

(recipe from Where Women Cook magazine)

4 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
pinch of salt
3/4 cup sour cream (I used canned coconut milk)
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3-4 canned chipotle chiles in adobo (smoked jalapenos), finely chopped
3 Tbsp. adobo sauce (from the same can)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. garlic powder (I used a clove of fresh garlic)
2 limes, juiced
pinch of pepper

Place cubed sweet potatoes in a large pot with salted water to cover.  Bring to a boil, and cook until soft or a fork can easily break them.

Drain the sweet potatoes and return them to the pot.  Mash with a potato masher until desired consistency.

Stir in the sour cream, olive oil, chipotles, adobo, chili and garlic powders, and lime juice.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

(Note:  I boiled the clove of garlic with the sweet potatoes.  I then put the boiled potatoes and garlic into a food processor along with whole chipotles and all other ingredients and blended until whipped to a nice texture.  So easy!  Also, this recipe tastes amazing!  Such a different and delightful treatment of sweet potatoes. Yum.)

Chickpea Vegetable Stew

(recipe from Food & Wine magazine)

2 Tbsp. olive oil (I used coconut oil)
1 cup frozen pearl onions, thawed and halved
1 red bell pepper, diced
1/2 lb. fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbsp. finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1 Tbsp. harissa
3 cups broth
One 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Salt and pepper
1 Tbsp. minced cilantro
Toasted bread, for serving

In a large saucepan, heat the oil.  Add the onions and bell pepper and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until browned, about 5 minutes.  Add the potatoes, garlic, ginger and harissa and cook, stirring, until the harissa darkens, about 2 minutes.  Add the broth and chickpeas and bring to a boil.  cover and simmer over moderately low heat until the potatoes are tender, 12 to 14 minutes. 

Add the coconut milk and bring to a simmer.  Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle the stew with cilantro and serve with toasted bread.

(This coconut/ginger/harissa broth is delicious!  I think using any vegetable mix would work well with this stew - the broth is so yummy.)