Peanut Butter Ramen

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic (or 1 t squeeze bottle garlic)
1 teaspoon ginger (I use the refrigerated squeeze bottle kind) 
1 healthy teaspoon green curry paste
4 cups vegetable broth (I use the Orrington Farms vegan no-chicken broth)
1 can lite coconut milk
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2-3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari (to taste)
2 tablespoons brown sugar
juice of 2 limes

2  "bricks" of ramen

any variation of the following:
a handful of mushrooms, sliced very thin
handfuls of fresh spinach
broccoli, barely steamed
shredded carrots
cubes of tofu (I use the Trader Joe's packaged teriyaki tofu)
seven-minute eggs

at the table:
sriracha
peanuts, scallions, cilantro, mint, whatever you like

1.  Heat a large, heavy pot; add oil, then garlic, ginger, and curry paste. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2-3 minutes.
2.  Add three cups of broth and the coconut milk. Stir, reduce heat to low, and simmer.
3.  In a medium bowl, whisk peanut butter, soy sauce, sugar, lime juice, and remaining cup of broth.
4.  Add the peanut butter mixture to the broth. Stir. Add a handful of sliced mushrooms at this point if you like.
5.  Simmer 5-15 minutes. Adjust seasoning, adding salt, sugar, or lime to taste.
6. Cook the ramen in a separate pan, undercooking slightly. (Maybe 90 seconds to two minutes in the boiling water.)
7. Scoop noddles into your bowl, add whatever veggies, tofu, whatever. Ladle broth over. Add egg, if using. Top with whatever you like. 

This makes enough for three nice bowls for dinner and enough leftover broth for someone to have a decent bowl tomorrow. However, they'll have to make fresh noodles and reassemble whatever veggies/tofu they like.

Granola, Plain and Simple

I don't want coconut or nuts or fruit bits in my granola. Even if I did, I'd add them later. 

Photo represents the one time I added a little quinoa to the mix.

Preheat oven to 300 or 325 depending on whether you like your granola a bit toasty.

Whisk well:
3 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 c. brown rice syrup or honey or maple syrup (or any combination)
1/4 c. vegetable or olive oil (or combination)
1 tsp. vanilla
dash of cinnamon (optional)
1 egg white (optional)

Add and stir well:
3 c. old fashioned rolled oats (not quick, not steel cut)

Spread onto a parchment-lined pan. Bake for 25-30 minutes, checking often and stirring a bit halfway through. Remove when it's golden brown. Let cool. Break up chunks and store in an airtight container at room temperature. 

Chimichurri

Put this on veggie cubanos or Italian subs or empanadas. Your life will be bueno.

1 c. (packed) flat-leaf parsley, trimmed, washed, spun dry
1/4 c. (packed) cilantro trimmed, washed, spun dry
3 or 4 cloves garlic
2 t. dried oregano
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. red pepper flakes or more to taste
fresh ground pepper
1/3 c. olive oil
2 T. red wine vinegar

Blend all of the ingredients in a food processor.

Chickpea & Quinoa Stew

Kim made this for her triumphant return to Book Group after living in London for three years. It's adapted and converted from Deliciously Ella Every Day by Ella Woodward. 

Original recipe or
How I made it:

1 1/2 lbs butternut squash or sweet potato, peeled, trimmed and cubed in 1-inch cubes
3 cloves garlic, crushed
2 t. ground turmeric (original recipe calls for 3 t. but I found that a bit much.)
1 t. ground coriander
1 t. chili powder
1 t. ground of fresh ginger
1/2 t. Aleppo pepper
1 14 oz can lite coconut milk
1 T. tomato paste
1 14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 1/4 c. boiling water
1 14 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 bag pre-washed spinach (7-8 oz., more if you like)
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Roast butternut squash on a sheet pan lined with parchment, drizzled with olive oil and salt, for approximately 30 minutes or until just tender.
2. In a large dutch oven, add garlic, turmeric, coriander, chili powder, Aleppo pepper, ginger, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Heat through and add butternut squash.
3. Add the rinsed quinoa and boiling water. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.
4. Add chickpeas. Simmer on low for 15 more minutes or until quinoa is fully cooked and plumped. 
5. Add spinach and simmer on low until wilted, about 5-10 minutes.
6. Season to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt and naan. 

Vegan Babies aka Banana-Chocolate Brownie Bites

My continued search for vegan brownies for my vegan girl took a turn for the better this week when I hit on these delish brownies. This recipe is a mish-mash of several things I've tried or seen online.

Pulverize in a food processor or blender, until very, very smooth:
1 15-oz. can of black beans, rinsed and drained
3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 Tbs. ground flax seed whisked with 2 T. water
4 Tbs. cocoa
1 ripe banana
1/2 c. sugar (I used Turbinado)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 tsp. instant coffee granules (optional but adds nice flavor)

Scrape into a bowl and fold in:
1/2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

Add:
3/4 cup chocolate chips (mini preferred)

Scoop into mini muffin tins that are well greased.
Bake for 23 minutes at 350 degrees.
Cool for 10 minutes before turning out to cool completely.

Makes 24 minis.

Eulie's Chocolate Snack Cake

This is another one from the Grandma Eulie archives. When you drink about 14 cups of coffee a day, like she did, you might need a little something to go along with it. Hence, her arsenal of not-too-sweet, no-frosting, all-in-one-pan snack cakes. This is a gem. She apparently adapted it from a recipe on the Gold Medal package, sometime in the mid-1970s.

NOTE: You may mix in entirely in the pan, making this a one pan wonder, to boot.

1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup brown sugar, packed

1/4 cup cocoa

1 t. baking soda

1/2 salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 t. vinegar

1 t. vanilla

1 cup water

Mix dry ingredients well, then add liquids. Bake in an 8x8 ungreased pan. 35-40 minutes or until a wooden pick (seriously, who keeps wooden picks around?) comes out clean. No temp specified, but I think I do about 350.


*Because this is a "wacky" cake, there is no egg in it.  Vegan by accident. Lovely.*

Suzanne's Popcorn Cauliflower

I first had this at Suzanne's house for book group during summer 2010 and immediately became obsessed with it. Since then, I've made it probably ten times, tweaking the spices to suit whatever I'm having for dinner that night. A couple of things: 1. Don't be scared off by garlic powder and onion powder. There's a time and place for everything and here, it works. 2. I usually double this recipe. If not, you run the risk of eating all of the crispy pieces off of the cookies sheet and will barely have enough for dinner. It's that delicious.

Preheat oven to 450.

1 large head of cauliflower, in smallish florets

Combine in a large bowl:  

1/4-1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp paprika (try Spanish paprika, too)

2 tbsp sugar (honey works, too)

1 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

~6 tbsp olive oil, or less but enough to generously coat the cauliflower

1. Toss the cauliflower with the spice mixture. The florets should be covered and looking a bit like caramel popcorn in color.
2. Lay cauliflower on a baking sheet that has been covered in parchment paper.
3. Bake at 450 for 30 minutes, or until the florets are soft. Don't be afraid to let them get a bit more cooked and even a bit black on the edges of some pieces.

Spicy Hungarian “Sausage” and Lentil Stew

Once upon a time, I used to work out at the Y on Marshfield. This worked out fairly well. My daughter would take a swimming class and I'd get in some exercise. One problem: The Food Network played constantly on the TVs about the machines so I'd spend my work outs memorizing and mentally adapting recipes, grab V, then immediately head around the corner to Whole Foods to buy the ingredients. (It felt slightly counter-productive but I have some good recipes from that time.) 


This was a Rachael Ray special from the winter of 2007 that I changed eighteen ways to Sunday. I remember that it was originally called it something sort of stupid, like "stoup" but I wouldn't do that if I were you.

• @ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 portobello mushrooms, chopped
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• 1 cup lentils
• 1 large potato, peeled and chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 bay leaf, fresh or dried
• 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika
• 2-3 sprigs fresh rosemary, intact on stems
• 1 (14-ounce) can fire roasted chopped tomatoes, such as Muir Glenn or, regular diced tomatoes
• 6 cups vegetable stock (approx.)
• 4-5 cups fresh spinach, chopped (can also use kale or swiss chard)
• I box Boca Italian sausage (4 in package), cook according to directions and slice into bite-sized chunks

 Heat a medium soup pot over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil then add garlic, onions and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes, then add carrots, lentils, potato, salt and pepper, bay leaf, paprika and rosemary (leaves will fall from stems as stew cooks). Add tomatoes and broth and cover pot then raise heat to high and bring to a boil. Uncover pot and turn heat down a bit but keep stew at a good rolling boil. Cook 15 minutes until lentils and potatoes are tender. Remove rosemary stems and turn off heat. Add “sausage” and greens. Let stand 5 minutes.


Yield: 8 servings 

Puerto Rican Beans

It's a cold and nasty day in Chicago.  A perfect day to have a big pot of something on the stove...


From a recipe for "Sunday Beans" in the NYT mag that started with slab bacon, I veggie-ized this with the good counsel of Alex, the most awesome Puerto Greekanish cook you could ever meet, and the results garnered this compliment: "You would make any Puerto Rican abuela proud!" They are that delish.


The original recipe called for canned beans, but I subsequently made with dried beans with great results.

2 T olive oil
1 T annato seeds
1 med onion, peeled and diced
4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 med red pepper, seeded and diced
2 large carrots, scrubbed and diced
2 T ground cumin
1 T ground coriander
juice of one large orange, plus enough pineapple juice to equal 1.5 cups total juice
2 T tomato paste
2 14-oz cans red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
2 14-oz cans pinto beans, drained and rinsed
optional: dash of liquid smoke for bacon-ness without the bacon
salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in large pot. Sautee the annato seeds until the oil turns a deep red. Remove the seeds and add the vegetables. Cook until they have softened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the cumin and coriander and stir for about 2 minutes. Add the juice and tomato paste. Raise the heat until it reaches a simmer then lower the heat and reduce the liquid to 1/2 its volume. Add the beans, liquid smoke (if desired) and enough water to simmer, if necessary. Simmer for at LEAST 30 minutes, preferably for a couple of hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with rice.

Terrible picture but those are the beans at 9 o'clock.

Curried Veggie Stew

"I can vouch for the deliciousness of this dish, and the spicy drizzle is so good I want to try it on pancakes." ~ Nancy, book group

Serving hungry friends since 2004, thanks to Amy Sieben.  

I always imagine that this is Moroccan-ish but truth be told, have no idea of it's origins. Vegetarian, vegan without the yogurt.


Serves 6-8ish. All quantities are estimates. It can easily expand or contract based on what you have available. Make sure to adjust the cinnamon and coriander if you make a larger batch.


Heat oil and saute veggies and spices about 15 minutes:
2 T. olive or canola oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1-2 carrots, sliced
1 t. ground coriander
1/2 t. cinnamon

Add:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and diced in 1 inch cubes
2 large tomatoes or a 14-oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 T. lemon juice
1 1/2 c. cooked garbanzos or 1 14 oz-can garbanzos, drained
1/2 c. raisins
1/2 c. cashews

Add enough water or vegetable broth to cover. Simmer for a good couple of hours. (Can sit on the stove for hours or reheats well.)

Serve over cous cous (I prefer whole wheat) with fresh parsley, plain yogurt, and spicy drizzle (recipe below.)

Spicy drizzle - Combine in small sauce pan.:
1/2 c olive oil
1 T. soy sauce
2 1/2 t. cayenne
1 1/2 t. cumin
1/4 t. salt
1 clove garlic, crushed

Cook over very low heat. Drizzle over the stew at the table.

Tofu Fajitas

We had this at Alex and Sharon's house in September of 2001 and a star was born.  Alex was working for Vegetarian Times at that time and they had  adapted it from a VT recipe.  I've made it a hundred times and further adapted it.

Ingredients for marinade:
2 cloves garlic, crushed
3 T. vegan Worcester sauce (what is this? I just add a splash of really good balsamic vinegar)
1 T. water
1 ½ T. soy sauce
juice of 1 lime
2 T. canola oil
2 T. brown sugar or honey
2 t. dried oregano

Stuff to marinate, cut in uniform strips:
Portabella mushrooms
Drained and pressed firm tofu
Red (and/or other colors) sweet bell peppers
Vidalia onion
Other yummy stuff of your choosing or whatever you have too much of from your CSA.

Marinate the veggies. Roast in pyrex with plenty of room so the stuff gets roasty and crispy, not soggy and steamy. 400F oven, about 25 minutes or so until done.

Serve with beans, avocado, salsa, tortillas, whatever your preferred fixin's may be.

Twice-baked Samosa Potatoes

My friend and vegan queen, Michelle Schwegmann, turned me on the the Veganomicon cook book and this recipe was the first thing I made from it.

4 large Russet potatoes or sweet potatoes, baked, cooled, cut in half and flesh scooped out (leave 1/4 in potato in the skin)

vegetable oil for sauteeing

1 tsp yellow mustard seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds, crushed

1 small yellow onion, finely sliced about a cup

1 med carrot, small dice, about 3/4 cup

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 tsp grated fresh ginger

2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt 

1/2-1 cup frozen green peas, rinsed

juice of 1/2 lemon

red pepper flakes (optional)

paprika

This is an easy recipe to make and holds well if made up to 24 hours ahead.

A bit of oil to coat a medium sized pan, heated to med-high, then sizzle the mustard and coriander seeds briefly to toast them before adding the onions, let soften or caramelize a bit then add carrots, ginger, garlic, ground cumin and turmeric. Sautee a good 15-20 minutes more.

Mash the potato flesh (adding a bit of broth or soymilk if it seems too dry) then add the sauteed veggies, peas, lemon juice and mix well. Season with salt and red pepper flakes to taste/heat.

The recipe calls for brushing the inside of the potato skins with oil, but I don't see the point in that, so I just spooned the filling into the skins, skipping that step.

I drizzled on some olive oil and sprinkled the tops with sea salt and paprika before baking. Prettier and crispier!

Bake at 400F until the potatoes are nicely browned.

Indiana Steve's Snow Day Bread

A wonderful recipe given to me by friend/painter/potter/baker Steve Skinner who lives in New Carlisle, Indiana. I made this for the kids during the recent snowpocolypse so it was dubbed Snow Day Bread and it shall be called that forevermore.  It made amazing toast and the best grilled cheese of my life. Enough said.

8 c flour

3 ½  c water

2 T (+/-) salt

2 T dry yeast

1 T sugar

In a 4 cup measuring cup add hot water to yeast & sugar and let sit 5 minutes to activate yeast.

In a very large bowl combine and mix salt & flour.

Pour activated yeast water mix to center of flour and stir with large wooden spoon.

Knead until dough is moist and slightly sticky but doesn't stick to your hands. If it does stick add a more flour, but not too much at a time. Be sure to knead it in gradually.

Pre-heat your oven to its lowest temp and then turn it off.

Cover dough in the large mixing bowl with another large bowl or platter so the dough doesn't dry as it rises. Let the dough rise about 45 minutes in the warm oven.

Grease two 9 x 5 in. bread pans with butter.

Remove the dough from the oven and with a wooden spatula, roll the dough onto your counter top. The counter top will not need to be dusted with flour if the dough is the correct consistency. If it sticks to the counter top, dust it lightly with flour and roll it into a large loaf. Cut the loaf into halves and place each half into the greased pans.

If necessary, pre-heat the oven again to its lowest setting and again turn it off. Place the pans of bread dough into the warm oven and let rise 20 minutes or until the dome of the dough rises to slightly higher then the tops of the bread pans.

Turn the oven on to 400 degrees and bake the dough from 20 - 30 minutes until it is golden brown. I prefer a darker shade of golden brown, but it's your preference whether lighter or darker. Remove from oven. The bread should slide right out of the pans.