Black Bean and Sweet Potato Tacos

serves 4

inspired by WindAttack

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For the Potatoes:

2 sweet potatoes (really orange-fleshed yams), peeled and cut into small cubes

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and red chili flakes to taste

juice of 1 lime

For the Cabbage Slaw:

2 heaping cups shredded cabbage (I used a combination of purple and green cabbage)

1/4 cup finely diced yellow onions

2 heaping tablespoons chopped cilantro

juice of 2 limes

salt and red chili flakes to taste

For the Beans:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/4 cup finely diced yellow onion

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 (15-ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed

juice of 1 lime

small corn tortillas

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place peeled and diced sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet.  Top with olive oil, salt and chili flakes, and lime juice.  Toss together until all of the potato chunks are coated.  Place in the oven to bake until softened through and toasted brown.  This usually takes about 40 minutes.   Remove the cookie sheet once or twice during baking to toss the potato chunks around.  This will ensure that the cubes cook evenly.  Remove from the oven and let stand when cooked through.

While the potatoes cook, assemble the Cabbage Slaw.  In a medium bowl, place cabbage, yellow, and chopped cilantro.  Add lime juice, salt and chili flakes.  Toss to coat and set aside while the potatoes cook and beans heat.  Letting the cabbage slaw sit will help soften the cabbage.

To cook the beans, heat olive oil in a medium saucepan.  Add onions and cook until transluscent, about 3 minutes.  Add ground cumin and stir until fragrant.  Add beans and lime juice.  Cook until heated through.

Heat corn tortillas in a hot saucepan with just a touch of oil.  Heat through and serve with potatoes, beans, and slaw.  

Almost Vegan Zucchini Bread

makes one 8×4 or 9×5-inch loaf

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3 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

3 tablespoons ground flax seed meal

1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon buttermilk (or soy milk or water, just add about 1/8 teaspoon of vinegar as well)

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 cups shredded zucchini

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts or pecans (optional)

Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Grease and flour an 8×4-inch or 9×5-inch loaf pan.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and spices.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together flax seed meal, buttermilk, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and sugars.  Whisk thoroughly, then add the shredded zucchini and nuts (if using).

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold together with a spatula.  Make sure all of the flour is thoroughly incorporated into the batter.  Spoon batter into prepared pan and place in the oven.  Bake for about 1 hour, or until a skewer inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Allow to cool in pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Bread will last, well wrapped at room temperature, for up to 5 days.

Vegan Carrot Ginger Coconut Soup

This soup is the picture of health.  Sweet carrots are cooked down and mixed with spicy ginger and creamy coconut.  It’s vegan.  It’s healthy.  Your insides will totally throw a parade in your honor.  I like to serve this soup with crusty bread… I like to serve everything with crusty bread.

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serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 tablespoons minced ginger

3/4 teaspoon ground coriander

4-5 cups diced carrots

3 cups vegetable broth

1 cup light coconut milk

salt and pepper to taste

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Add onions and saute until onions are translucent, about 4 minutes.  Add ginger and saute for another 4 minutes, until softened and fragrant.  Add coriander and diced carrots.  Stir to incorporate.  Add the vegetable broth, reduce heat, and simmer mixture until carrots are completely softened, about 30 minutes.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 20 minutes.

Using a blender, blend soup in batches until smooth.  (You can also use an emulsion blender in the pot and never have to move the soup… if you’re into that sort of convenience.)  Return soup to pot, stir in coconut milk.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Serve soup warm with crusty vegan bread.

Kale Chips

These are not potato chips.  Don’t let anyone tell you that they taste as good as potato chips.  They don’t.  Potato chips are uuuuhhhh-mazing.  These chips are also delicious.  Believe it or not, kale bakes up into a crisp paper, chip-like consistency.  The flavor is light, but green… and you can add just about any seasoning you’d like.  Old Bay Seasoning?  A total dream come true.  Try them.  The crunch is addicting.  Oh!  I like using dinosaur kale (the flatter kale variety) because they leaves are more easily removed from the stalk.  Try any kale you can get your hands on!

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1 pound bunch of dinosaur kale

1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil

any seasoning you’d like:  Old Bay Seasoning, Grill Seasoning, smoky paprika, chili flakes, sea salt and coarse black pepper.

Preheat oven to 275 degrees.  Thoroughly clean and dry kale leaves.  Remove the fiberous center stalk from the kale by tearing the leaves away from the stalk.  The center stalk will bake up very tough, that’s why we remove it.

Place kale leaves on one or two baking sheets.  Leaves should be in a single layer for the most part.  Sprinkle with olive oil and seasoning.  Toss with your hands.  Add more seasoning if you’d like.

Place pan(s) in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.  Remove sheet(s) and toss leaves with tongs.  Return to the oven to bake for another 15 minutes.  after 30 minutes of baking, turn the oven off and allow the leaves to dry in the cooling oven for another 30 to 45 minutes.  They’ll be crisp and ready to snack on in no time!

Store kale chips in an airtight bag.  They’ll last anywhere from several minutes (because they’re an irresistible snack) to several days (because your husband doesn’t like kale).  

Cold Avocado Soup with sweet corn and bacon

makes about 4 cups

adapted from Bon Appetit August 2011

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For the Soup:

2 ripe Haas avocados

1 cup vegetable broth

1 tablespoon lime juice

2 tablespoons sour cream, creme fraiche, or milk (optional if you’re vegan)

3/4 teaspoon salt (plus a bit more if you’re a salt freak like me )

1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups water

For the Topping:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 ears fresh corn, sliced from the cob

1/2  jalapeno pepper, de-seeded and diced (I used a fresh cayenne pepper)

4 slices cooked bacon, chopped (optional if you’re vegan)

small handful fresh parsley leaves, chopped

salt and pepper to taste

To make the soup, place avocado flesh in a blender along with vegetable broth, lime juice, sour cream (if using), and salt.  Blend until the avocados are creamy.  Remove the center from your blender lid, and while blending, slowly add the water.  Soup will be done when smooth, with your desired consistency.  Feel free to add a touch more water if you prefer a thinner soup.  Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.  Place in a container in the fridge while you make the topping.

To make the topping, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook until translucent and browned, about 5 minutes.  Add corn and jalapeno and cook for 3 minutes more.  Add sliced bacon and parsley.  Cook until everything is warmed and just browned.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pile about 1/2 cup of warm topping into a bowl.  Pour cold soup around the topping.  Serve and enjoy.  Soup lasts up to three days in and airtight container in the fridge.  

Vegan Mango Banana Bread

makes one 9×5-inch loaf

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3 medium or 2 large ripe bananas

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ripe mango, sliced into chunks

granulated sugar for topping

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease and flour a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan.

In a large mixing bowl, mash the bananas well. Add the sugar, oil, and vanilla extract, and whisk briskly to incorporate.

Sift in the flour, baking soda, spices, and salt. Use a wooden spoon to mix until the wet and dry ingredients are just combined.  Fold in mango chunks.

Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and sprinkle with extra sugar if you’d like.  Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. The top should be lightly browned and a knife inserted through the center should come out clean, or with just a few crumbs.

Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before transferring out of a pan and onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Banana bread will last, wrapped at room temperature, for up to 5 days… but it’s super delicious eaten within a few days.

Recipe adapted from Organic and Chic.

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**For extra deliciousness:  add 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder and 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon to the dry ingredients, sift together, and proceed as recipe instructs.

Cashew Oat Milk with cinnamon and agave

Makes just under one quart of milk

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1 1/2 cups raw cashews

3 cups of water for soaking

1/2 cup old-fashioned oats, ground to a powder

2 cinnamon sticks ground to a powder or 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

3 cups filtered water

2 tablespoons agave

Place raw cashews in a clean bowl and top with 3 cups of water.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight, or for 8 to 12 hours.  Once soaked, place the cashews in a fine mesh strainer and run the softened cashews under cool water until clean and the water runs clear.  Set aside.

In a spice blender (mine is a clean coffee grinder), grind cinnamon sticks, one at a time, to a fine powder.  Place in a small bowl and set aside.  If you don’t have a spice grinder, measure 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon into a small bowl and set aside.

Grind oats in two batches in the spice grinder until oats turn into a fine powder.  Pour into the same bowl as the ground cinnamon.  If you don’t have a spice grinder, you can also grind oats in the blender.

Combine oats, cinnamon, cashews, filtered water, and agave in the bowl of a blender.  Cover tightly and blend on low speed, increasing to high speed, until smooth.

Place a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl.  Pour half of the cashew mixture into the fine mesh strainer.  With a spatula, work the liquid through the strainer.  The harder you press the cashew and oat mixture, the more liquid you’ll release, and the more cashew and oat bits you’ll get in your milk.  I happen to like this milk to be thick and slightly chunky.  Continue to strain the milk until all of the liquid has passed through the strainer.  Place cashew and oat meat mixture in a bowl and set aside.

If you’d like a smoother milk, feel free to pass it through the strainer once more.

Store in an airtight container (I used an old one-quart milk jar) and place in the fridge.  Shake well before enjoying.

Milk lasts, in the refrigerator, for up to 4 days.

Oh!  I used the cashew and oat meat as a face scrub for a few days.

Soft Vegan Double Ginger Cookies

Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Recipe from Organic and Chic (I really love this cookbook)

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1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup minced candied ginger

1 cup vegan granulated sugar (if you’re hardcore… or just go for regular granulated sugar)

2 tablespoons ground flaxseed

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup canola oil

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup vegan granulated sugar, for rolling the cookies balls

In a large bowl, whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ground ginger, and minced candied ginger.  Set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together sugar, ground flaxseed, applesauce, oil, and lemon zest and juice.

Add the wet ingredients, all at once, to the dry ingredients and carefully mix together with a wooden spoon.  Make sure all the flour bits are moistened and well incorporated.  Form dough into a disk shape and wrap well in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for an hour, or overnight.

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat 350 degrees F.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Remove the dough from the fridge and use your hands to roll dough into walnut sized balls.  Rolls balls in granulated sugar and place of baking sheet.  Use the palm of your hand to slightly flatten the dough ball.  Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until just slightly browned but still slightly soft in the center.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing.

Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.

Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup with Cashew Cream

Makes about 6 cups

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For the Soup:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 pound cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 tablespoons soy sauce (I used Bragg’s Amino Acids)

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegan please)

about 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

3 cups vegetable broth

salt to taste

For the Cashew Cream:

1/2 cup raw cashews

1/2 cup water

*Substitute Cashew Cream with 3/4 cup half and half or 8 ounces of silken tofu

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions to hot oil and saute until translucent and slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic, stir, and cook for 1 minute more.  Add the mushrooms, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook until mushrooms are cooked and broken down, about 5 minutes.  Stir occasionally.  Add cracked pepper and  vegetable stock and cook at a simmer until mushrooms are completely soft.  This took me about 10 to 15 minutes.

While the soup simmers, prepare the cashew cream.  In a blender, combine raw cashews and water.  Blend on high until smooth.  Pour into a measuring cup and set aside.  Don’t worry about washing the blender… we’re going to use it to blend the soup.

When mushrooms are cooked through, add about one third of the soup to the blender.  Hot soup rises high in the blender so definitely be careful how high you fill the blender.  Blend soup on low, increasing the speed to high, until no large mushroom chunks remain.  Pour blended soup into a clean pot or large bowl.  Blend the remaining soup in batches.  *If using silken tofu instead of cashew cream.  Blend the silken tofu in with the mushrooms and broth.

Add the cashew cream to the blended soup and stir to incorporate.

Place a fine mesh strainer over the pot that you cooked the soup in.  In batches, pour the blended soup into the fine mesh strainer and work the soup through the strainer with a rubber spatula.  Don’t use a wooden spoon… you could get splinters in your soup… seriously.  Heat and serve the strained soup.  Or place in a freezer safe container for a few weeks down the road.

Not So Vegan Herb Bread

1 fresh baguette

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

3 tablespoons coarsely chopped parsley

1 clove garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 tablespoons fresh grated Parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste.

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.

On a clean cutting board, use a fork to mash together softened butter, garlic, and chopped parsley.  Once incorporated, drizzle the olive oil over the butter mixture and work in the olive oil.  Add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper and incorporate with the fork.

Slice baguette into thick slices, not slicing all the way through the loaf, but keeping the slices connected.  Spread parsley butter in between bread slices.  Wrap baguette in foil and bake for 10 minutes, or until butter is melted and fragrant.

Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Kale Spinach and Pear Smoothie

inspired by Tracy.  Thanks Tracy!

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1 heaping cup spinach leaves

1 heaping cup chopped kale leaves

1/2 pear

1 frozen banana

1 1/2 cups cold almond milk (or soy milk or orange juice)

1 tablespoon honey

Remove kale leaves from their rough center stalk and coarsely chop.  In a blender, combine kale spinach and almond milk.  Blend until no big kale bits remain.  Stop blender and add banana honey and pear.  Blend until smooth.  Enjoy immediately.  Heck yea!