Red Lentil and Apricot Soup

Since it's getting darker so much earlier, I'm having a hard time getting enough light for these pictures so they are so blurry! Oh well. You get the idea.
Evan and I first had this soup at a young adults potluck dinner with people from our church. It was unlike any soup I'd had an I quickly got the recipe. It was quick to make and so satisfying.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 tsp. minced garlic
1/2 cup finely chopped dried apricots
1 1/2 cups dried split red lentils, well rinsed
5 cups chicken/vegetable stock
1 28 can of plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. dried rosemary or thyme
salt and pepper to taste
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
Directions:
1. Saute onion, garlic, and apricots in olive oil until onions are soft and browned - about 12 minutes. I did this step earlier in the day and stored in the fridge for later.
2. In a saucepan, pour in stock and lentils and bring to a boil uncovered. Once boiling, cover the pan and reduce to low. Simmer for about 30 minutes or until lentils are cooked. Add onion mixture, plum tomatoes, seasonings, and lemon juice. Simmer together for a few more minutes.

Vegan Alfredo Pasta

THIS ALFREDO IS SO GOOD. Evan thought it was by far the best vegan imitation I have made. It really tastes like the real thing without any of the heavy cream that I thought was required to make a good cream sauce.
Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 heaping Tbsp. garlic
4 Tbsp. arrowroot powder or flour
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
4-6 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 cup vegan parmesan cheese (1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, 1/4 cup raw cashews, 1/4 tsp. garlic powder, pinch of salt, blended)

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, heat oil until hot. Add garlic. Quickly stir in arrowroot powder or flour and cook for one minute.
2. Add almond milk 1/4 cup at a time, stirring to avoid clumps. Cook for 2 minutes.
3. Transfer to blender and add nutritional yeast (I did 4 heaping Tbsp.), salt, pepper, garlic powder, and vegan parmesan.
We cooked up some peas, broccoli, and mushrooms (carrots would have been good too) and added that to our noodles.

This recipe was taken from Minimalist Baker

Ramen

I kept seeing pictures of ramen floating around on Facebook and my favorite cooking blogs, so I figured I would try it out myself. It was a bit difficult to find all of the ingredients (I should have gone to an Asian grocery story but I just went by Trader Joes and Whole Foods) but it turned out yummy still.
1. Preheat oven to 400. Slice carrots and mushrooms, coat with olive oil and garlic, and roast until soft - about 30 minutes.
2. Slice tofu and coat with cornmeal, salt, and pepper (I tossed mine in a large Ziploc bag). Set aside.
3. Finely chop one medium yellow onion, one piece of ginger, and four cloves of garlic. Simmer in sesame oil until soft. Add 6 cups of vegetable stock, 4 packages of miso flavored ramen (mine were from Whole Foods), 2 Tbsp. liquid aminos/soy sauce, and one Tbsp. umami paste, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until noodles are soft. Add extra seasonings to the broth to taste. Add roasted veggies.
3. In a hot cast iron, add about 2 Tbsp. of sesame oil and pan fry tofu until firm.
4. Saute some kale or other desired toppings.

VEGAN QUESO NACHOS

Slice eggplant into 1/4"-1/2" slices and drizzle with olive oil and salt. On a baking sheet, broil for 4-5 minutes (until browned) on each side. Remove from oven and cover with foil to steam. After a few minutes, remove the skin from the eggplant and put in a blender with 1 cup unsweetened almond milk, 5 Tbsp. nutritional yeast, 1 scoop of salsa (optional), 1 Tbsp. cumin, 1 tsp. chili powder, 1 tsp. minced garlic, and a can of Rotel or green chilis. For more spice add smoked paprika. Blend together. If too runny, put in a saucepan with cornstarch until it thickens.
We topped corn chips with black beans, sauteed peppers and onions, and tomatillo salsa.
This made quite a bit of queso - enough for two dinners and two lunches - so next time I'd need to brainstorm a better way to use the leftovers.

Lentil Sloppy Joes

Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer for 18 minutes or until tender. Discard remaining liquid:
1 1/4 cup green lentils
2 1/2 cups water

Chop and saute in cast iron with olive oil: 
1/2 yellow onion
1 green bell pepper
2 cloves minced garlic

Add lentils to cast iron and stir in:
1 1/2 cup marinara sauce (I used one from Trader Joes)
1 can diced tomatoes
3 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

Serve on hamburger buns! Recipe adapted from here.

Stuffed Peppers

6 green peppers

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 can black beans

1 can refried beans

1 heaping tsp. cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. garlic powder

3 Tbsp. lime juice

½ cup roasted tomatillo salsa

½ cup pico de gallo

½ cup corn salsa from Trader Joes

¼ cup water

Crockpot OR at 400 for 45 minutes in a pan with a little water in the bottom and foil covering pan. Saves pretty well so this could be used for three meals for two people.

Chickpea Caesar Wraps

I used this caesar dressing recipe but cut the recipe in half. At Trader Joes on Sunday I picked out a package of their Middle Eastern flatbread which was the perfect texture and thickness for the wraps. After warming the flatbread in a pan, we topped it with some lightly steamed kale, red leaf lettuce, spiced chickpeas (with turmeric, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic salt and oregano), and caesar dressing! We made it in under a half an hour - a record time considering how long I've been taking to make dinner lately.

1/2 cup soaked raw cashews
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
1 clove garlic
1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp. capers
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper

Kombucha: Batch 01

I'm so excited to be back to brewing kombucha again. Last week my friend Scott gave me a SCOBY and the first batch turned out delicious.

Boil 5 cups of water and pour into 64 oz. glass jar. Stir in 1/2 cup sugar until dissolved. Add four green tea bags and let steep until water cools to room temperature. Remove tea bags and pour in the 1-2 cups of leftover kombucha and SCOBY. Cover jar with paper towels and store in a dry place for about ten days.

After 10 days, I poured out all but two cups of the kombucha into a big measuring cup (I was left with about five cups) and added ginger and cranberry juice. I was going to second ferment for a few days, but I decided it had enough fizz already, so I just stuck it in the fridge. I'm thinking the key to the success of this batch was the green tea - I used to use black before and it made the kombucha more bitter and less bubbly. I'm excited to experiment with more flavors!

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes

Mix together:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
Add:
1 flax egg (2 1/2 Tbsp. water and 1 Tbsp. flax meal; let rest for 5 minutes)
1 cup Almond/Coconut milk
Add: 
1/4 cup oats
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp. salt

Stir everything together until combined. This was originally a waffle recipe but they did not cook well and made a mess of my waffle iron, but I discovered that they make much better pancakes. This time around I noticed that using coconut oil on the pan made them stick to my cast iron, but a little butter made them much easier to flip. I'm not sure why! We add chocolate chips after putting the batter on the pan and that pairs really well with the banana.

Vegan Caesar Salad

This caesar dressing is SO good.
1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight (I forgot this step but it turned out fine)
1/2 cup water
4 Tbsp. olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. garlic powder
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
4 tsp. capers
1 tsp. salt
pepper to taste

...just blend everything together for a delicious Caesar dressing. We put this on a mixture of romaine lettuce and lightly cooked kale and topped it with spiced chickpeas (chickpeas sprinkled with turmeric, pepper, oregano, dill, and smoked paprika in a cast iron pan with a bit of oil) and vegan parmesan. It was surprisingly filling!

Recipe from here

Eggplant 'Parmesan'

Eggplant, cut in 1/2 inch slices
Egg Mixture:
1 egg (or flax egg) with a bit of water to thin
Flour: 
about 1/3 cup flour with salt and pepper
Coating: 
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Vegan parmesan:
3/4 cup raw cashews
3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
heaping 1/4 tsp. garlic powder
3/4 tsp. salt

Dip each eggplant slice in flour, then egg, then bread crumbs and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400 for about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, take slices out in batches and cook in cast iron with 1 Tbsp. olive oil to brown and crisp (this is really important!). Sprinkle with vegan parmesan and oregano.

Serve on top of spaghetti noodles and marinara. Sprinkle with more parmesan since you don't have to feel guilty about this stuff.

Vegan Chili

1 can drained corn

1 can black beans

1 can kidney or chili beans

1 small can vegetarian baked beans

1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes with juice

1 can Rotel (or just do a can of chilis)

1 medium onion, diced

2 chopped green bell peppers

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 Tbsp. cumin

1 can water

Mix everything together in a crockpot and put on low for 8 hours. Even better served with Trader Joes Corn Cake Bread.

Thursdays are our hectic days - I have class all afternoon and evening, Evan works all day and then has catechism class in the evening - and we miss each other for dinner. I'm trying to get better at crockpot meals since that seems to be the best solution!

Asian Quinoa Salad

Quinoa:
2/3 cup white quinoa
1 cup water

Vegetables:
small head of broccoli, cooked with minced garlic
2-3 carrots, cut in thin slices
thinly sliced red cabbage, cooked with minced ginger
water chestnuts
bell peppers
(I can't remember if I put mushrooms in this, but they would be good!)

Dressing:
heaping Tbsp. peanut butter
1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce from Trader Joes
4 Tbsp. liquid aminos/soy sauce
4 Tbsp. lime juice
3 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp. Sriracha

I cooked the veggies in small batches in my little wok and mixed everything together in a big bowl. This was yummy reheated the next day, too! We added green onions and toasted sesame seeds to ours.

Recipe inspired by Minimalist Baker

Vegetable Gyoza

(Very) finely chop all vegetables:
1 heaping cup red cabbage
1 heaping cup Shanghai bok choy (one bundle from Winco)
1/3 cup green onion
heaping 1/2 cup sweet onion
1 1/2 cups mushrooms
1 Tbsp. ginger
1 Tbsp. garlic

1 Tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tsp. liquid aminos (or soy sauce)

Makes about 50 gyoza

I first cut up all the vegetables, then cooked the cabbage and bok choy with ginger and salt (in my wok), placed in a big bowl, then the mushrooms with a drizzle of Sriracha for some spice, and the onions with garlic. Stir in the vinegar and liquid aminos into the bowl of veggies. I was worried about there being too much liquid in the mixture (no one wants watery gyoza) but I - accidentally - solved this problem by boiling the liquids out from having the glass bowl set on a burner that was supposed to be cooking the rice...whoops.

I bought pre-made gyoza wrappers at Winco (which is what first gave me the idea to try my own) and filled each with a heaping teaspoon of mixture. Dip your finger in water and slightly wet the outside ring of the wrapper and then pinch the sides together firmly. I pan fried them in my wok in small batches with a drizzle of toasted sesame oil and they were so tasty! We ate most of them...but I managed to snag a few and froze them for later.

Sweet Potato, Chickpea, & Kale Bowls

Sweet potatoes:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut sweet potatoes in 1 inch thick slices, lightly coat with olive oil and salt, and place face down on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Roast for about 40 minutes. During this time, cut the kale, make the dressing, and boil and spice the chickpeas.

Salad:
Remove the leaves from the thick stem and cut kale (I added some romaine too) in small pieces. Toss generously with dressing.

Dressing:
1/3 cup tahini sauce (from Trader Joes)
2 Tbsp. hummus
1 Tbsp. + lime or lemon juice
1 Tbsp. water
1 heaping Tbsp. minced garlic
black pepper

Chickpeas:
Boil a heaping cup of soaked chickpeas for about 10 minutes. Drain and toss into a cast iron pan with some oil and sprinkle with chili powder, oregano, salt, pepper, turmeric, and smoked paprika (I used quite a bit - gives it a good spice).

Cabbage:
I whipped up this quick cabbage slaw and added it for some color and texture:
1 cup thinly sliced red cabbage
pinch of salt
1 tsp. lime juice (or lemon or apple cider vinegar)
massage cabbage with salt and juice for a minute
drizzle with honey and stir

Falafel Waffles

Falafel Waffles:
2 heaping cups of chickpeas (I soaked mine in water overnight with a pinch of apple cider vinegar), rinsed and drained
2 tsp minced garlic
handful of chopped cilantro
handful of chopped mint (or other herb)
2 Tbsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground corriander
2 tsp. sea salt
black pepper
4 Tbsp. lemon juice
2/3 cup chickpea flour
2 Tbsp. water

Blend chickpeas, herbs, spices, and lemon juice in a food processor (I used my Nutribullet - but divided this into two batches). Pour into a bowl and add chickpea flour and water. Stir until mixture holds together well. On parchment paper, divide mixture into eight patties. Cook on waffle iron for 4-5 minutes or until well-cooked.

This recipe pairs really well (in texture, taste, and aesthetics) with a red cabbage slaw:
2 cups thinly sliced red cabbage
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1/2 tsp salt
- massage vinegar and salt into the cabbage for about one minute
drizzle with honey and black pepper and stir together

Top with sliced cucumber and tahini sauce (I used tahini sauce from Trader Joes mixed with olive oil to thin).

Recipe from My New Roots
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A note on chickpeas from Sarah Britton of the blog "My New Roots:"
"We all know that chickpeas are fiber all-stars, providing 50% of your RDI in just one cup, (whoa!) but they have another party trick up their sleeve that I bet you didn’t know about. Two-thirds of the fiber in chickpeas is insoluble, meaning that it doesn’t break down during digestion, but instead moves through our digestive tract unchanged until it hits the large intestine. The fun starts here, where friendly bacteria (think probiotics!) go to town on said insoluble fiber and actually break it down to create short-chain fatty acids, including acetic acid, propionic acid, and butyric acid. These short-chain fatty acids can then be absorbed by the cells that line the wall of our large intestine and used for energy! How rad is that?! Butyric acid is in fact the preferredsource of energy for the cells lining our colon, and with this bonus fuel comes greater potential for optimally active and healthy cells. This translates into a reduced risk of colon problems including colon cancer. So friends, invite chickpeas to your next dinner party – they’ll feed you and your colon cells. Can your pot roast do that?"

Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

2 cans chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and smashed
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
2 small carrots, finely diced
1/2 medium red onion, finely diced
2 Tbsp. mayo
2 tsp. spicy mustard (I use Garlic Aioli mustard from Trader Joes)
2 tsp. sriracha
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. garlic powder, onion powder, and turmeric
black pepper

Mix everything together in a bowl and serve on bread in sandwich form (with pickles and lettuce!) or as a dip with pita chips. Makes, as always, two lunches and two dinners.

Recipe adapted from Chickpea Magazine

Peanut Butter Banana Overnight Oatmeal

1 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups unsweetened Almond-Coconut Milk (we use Blue Almond brand)
2 heaping Tbsp. flax meal or chia seeds
heaping Tbsp. peanut butter

Mix wet ingredients together first, then stir in the oats. Optional: add a dash of agave for sweetness. Soak overnight in the fridge, eat the next morning with bananas and cinnamon! Serves two.

Inspired by Minimalist Baker

BBQ Black Bean Burgers

2 cups mashed sweet potato (I accidentally bought yams but they were still good!) - roughly two large sweet potatoes
1 cup salted black beans (mashed)
1 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup flax meal (I would double this next time or do half a cup of ground oatmeal)
1/2 cup finely diced green onion
2 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. smoked paprika
salt and pepper
garlic salt to taste

Cook sweet potatoes at 400 for about 30 mins. Put in a bowl and mash together. Add the remaining ingredients. Form into thin patties and pan fry in cast iron before cooking in the oven for 20 minutes. I used Trader Joes garlic and herb pizza crust for the "bun" and topped the burger with pickles, tomato, garlic aioli mustard and BBQ sauce. The burgers turned out pretty soft - I might add more flax meal and/or ground oatmeal and cook for longer in the oven. Other than being super messy, the burgers were super tasty! I picked up new dill kettle chips from TJ's which was a perfect side.

As always, recipe adapted from Minimalist Baker

Roasted Vegetable Vegan Pizza

Evan and I were both happily surprised at how delicious this pizza was! I'm already brainstorming the ways I can incorporate vegan parmesan into more meals. The key to this pizza (besides the parmesan) is sautéing the veggies before putting them on the pizza and loading the pizza with garlic and oregano. 

Toppings:

Tomato sauce (I used tomato basil marinara)

Mushrooms

Two small tomatoes

Two bell peppers

One onion

Artichoke hearts

Fresh basil

Garlic salt

Dried oregano

Red pepper flakes

Minced garlic

Vegan Parmesan

¾ cup raw cashews

3 Tbsp. nutritional yeast

¼ tsp. garlic powder

¾ tsp salt

Pulse ingredients in a food processer (I used my Nutribullet) and store in the fridge

Slice and sauté veggies (mushrooms, peppers, and onion) until browned. Sprinkle with garlic salt and oregano. Divide crust (I used Trader Joes Garlic and Herb pizza dough) into two pieces, roll each on a cookie sheet. A Silpat and perforated baking sheet worked perfectly. Add sauce and veggies (including artichoke, tomato, basil, and garlic), then sprinkle with vegan parmesan, red pepper flakes, and oregano. Bake at 425 for 10-20 minutes (depending on how thick the crust is).

I would make the crust a little thicker next time, but it made enough for two dinners and two lunches. Olives and pesto would make yummy additions too!

recipe from Minimalist Baker - where I am getting all my recipes these days!