Lazy Lazy Hot-as-Hades Quesadillas

I’m not a summer person. Actually, that’s an understatement. Summer is to me as high noon is to Nosferatu. Once the mercury inches above 80°, I turn into a whining, pasty, squinting complainer. We’re in the middle of a heat wave right now, with the heat index above 100°. I want to hide in the dark with a fan on my face. What I don’t want to do is cook.

So here’s my concession to the heat. It took about 10 minutes from start to finish and I spiced it up nicely (that’s the kind of heat I like). The “Buffalo wings” I used, especially made this way, are pretty darn indiscernible from the real thing.

The pictures aren’t great because, like I said, it’s hoooooooooooooooooooot, and I’m feeling lazy lazy.

Quesadillas


For the quesdadillas:

1 package Smart Wings, Buffalo style
1 red bell pepper, sliced and diced
1 medium onion, diced
1 teaspoon jalapeño pepper, diced (optional. I say go for it!)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Any hotsy-totsy stuff you like (cayenne pepper, Tabasco, Frank's Red Hot, etc.), to taste
Daiya Vegan "Cheese" (I used Mozzerella and Cheddar)
1 package flour tortillas, burrito size
Tofutti "sour cream"
Picante salsa of your choice
Lazy Guacamole (recipe follows)

1. Add a tablespoon of oil to a skillet and heat it on medium-high. When oil is ready, add peppers, onion and cumin and sauté until glistening. Remove from skillet and set aside.
2. While the peppers and onions are cooking, grate Smart Wings in a food processor until shredded (see picture). Toss the shredded Smart Wings into skillet (add a little oil if needed) and allow it to heat through and start to carmelize a bit (this is a good time to sample it and add some spicy to taste). Remove from skillet and set aside.
3. Assemble your quesadillas. Place one tortilla either in bottom of a quesadilla maker or in the same skillet you've been using. I always brush the outside of the tortillas with a little bit of oil so they get some nice browned parts. Top tortilla with some peppers and onions, some shredded wings, and cheese. Pop another tortilla on top of that and heat the whole thing until it's all melty and gooey like God intended, flipping once to brown both sides. You'll make 4 or more quesadillas, depending on how much you put in each.
4. Serve topped with salsa, sour cream, and some form of guacamole (like my lazy version below)

Lazy Guacamole


1. Get the ingredients in my picture and put them all in a bowl.
2. Mix them up, adding more or less of everything to taste. There you go. Told you it was lazy!

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I’ve Got a Pantry Full of Healthy Junk, and I Want Cookies!

Tahini Cookies.


This recipe literally came from two jars sitting side-by-side in my pantry: tahini and Nutella. Before I made these cookies, I’d never used either one. The tahini was purchased as part of my initial “pantry-stocking” when I became a vegetarian. The Nutella? I had a coupon and it was free. To the left of these jars, on the same shelf, was a bag of muesli. Voilà! A cookie was born!

This cookie doesn’t necessarily require strict adherence to the following recipe. Adding and subtracting a little will change the density of the cookies—a little more tahini and Nutella and the cookies flatten quite a bit; more oats and these puppies stay put. Whatever happens (as long as you don’t burn them) they are too good to share. I’ve made these twice for one of my best girlfriends and she hides them from her family as if she’s Gollum with Precious. She also has a name for these cookies, which I can’t quite post here in its entirety. Suffice it to say these cookies have a nice fiber-y effect.

I double the following recipe. When the cookies are cooled put them in an air-tight container. They’re better the next day.



6 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons Nutella (vegan recipe for Nutella available here)
½ cup honey (or agave to veganize)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1½ cups quick cooking oats or muesli (increase to 2¼ cups for denser cookies)
¾ cup trail mix of your choice. (I used Whole Foods’ deluxe trail mix from their bulk bins. It has mixed nuts, seeds, dried fruit, oats and chocolate chips)



1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Cover cookie sheets with parchment paper (in my step-by-step picture I only greased the cookie sheets, but the bottoms of that batch burned quickly).
2. In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients. Decide how big you want your cookies. You can drop by tablespoon or by a ¼ cup measure. Either way, they should be 2” apart.
3. Bake for no more than 8 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are slightly brown. You might want to do a test cookie to determine how long you want to bake them for; the bottoms can burn quickly.
4. Cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely.

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Julie Hasson: There's a Pig I Didn't Eat, and He Has Your Name All Over Him!

So, the way my mind works (and maybe yours, too) is that contemplating cutting out my main food group caused me to obsess over what I would no longer eat. I didn’t (at first, anyway) think about the whole world of food opening to me, food that I’d not only never tried, but never even heard of. Nope. I thought mainly about one particular food that would be cut out of my life forever if I gave up meat: Italian sausage.

This caused me to worry that I couldn’t commit to a vegetarian life. Honestly, this one food could have been my undoing. It wasn’t enough that I no longer had any in the house, so I wouldn’t be tempted. I vividly remember in the first weeks of leaving meat behind I had a dream about Italian sausage. No lie. And it wasn’t even like I was dreaming of, say, George Clooney eating sausage. Just the sausage on a bun, swimming in peppers and onions. According to the Free Dream Dictionary, a dream of eating sausage denotes that “you will have a humble, but pleasant home.” There would be nothing pleasant about leaving my sausage behind me if I didn’t find a replacement (and fast).

I know that there are packaged vegetarian sausages and they are very good. My favorites are Field Roast, Morningstar Farms and Upton's Naturals. I was adamant, though, to do it myself. Part of what kept (and still keeps) me motivated is the real fun of cooking again. Even though I never ground up any meat and spices and squirted them in intestines in my former life, I was determined to make my own sausages now. Minus the meat. And the intestines, for that matter.

It doesn’t take much research into vegan and vegetarian cooking before you find Julie Hasson. She’s my favorite cook on the excellent YouTube cooking channel, “Everyday Dish.” Her video and recipe for making your own vegan Italian sausage was a revelation to me. I could do it! I could make my own damn sausages and stop dreaming about them (or at least add George Clooney to the dream from now on). In the past year I have probably made this recipe six times. I use these sausages on and in everything. I love them on pizza, and also fried with some grains and spinach. I’ve adapted her recipe a bit. Originally I added Parmesan cheese, for instance, while hers are straight-up vegan. If you want to omit the cheese, go ahead. I don't use it anymore in this recipe and don't miss it. I also added some other spices. You can follow my adapted recipe or follow hers to the letter- they’re both good and hit the spot.



Spicy Italian Vegetarian Sausages
Adapted from Julie Hasson on Everyday Dish



2 ¼ cups vital wheat gluten
½ cup nutritional yeast flakes
¼ cup garbanzo bean/chick pea flour
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
½ cup shredded Parmesan cheese (optional)
2 tablespoons Mrs. Dash chicken seasoning
2 tablespoons minced onion (dried is fine. Fresh makes the sausage a bit moister. Your choice)
2 tablespoons fennel seed (adjust to taste. I do a coarse grind of half in a pepper mill)
2 tablespoons coarsely ground black pepper
2 teaspoons ground paprika
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (or another teaspoon of regular paprika if you don’t have smoked. The smoked really does make a difference, though)
½ teaspoon Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy (or dried chili flakes, more or less to taste)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt (I use coarse sea salt)
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
2 tablespoons instant tapioca, unprepared (optional. Adding tapioca give the sausages a little bit of a softer texture. Try it with them the first time you make these, then try it without the next time. I prefer it this way)
2 ¼ cups cool water
6-8 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce

1. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients then gently stir into the dry. Stir just until all the ingredients are mixed. The dough should be a bit wet.
2. Using a ½ cup measuring cup, scoop out dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each portion into sausages, then roll them up individually in aluminum foil, twisting the ends. Steam in steamer for 30 minutes.
3. When sausages have cooled, unwrap and store in fridge. They are much better the next day. These can be frozen or stored in the fridge for a week. You can eat them cold right out of the fridge or sautéed with a little bit of olive oil.
4. Cooking tip: because these are essentially a form of bread, they will absorb liquid. These are most “sausage-like” when fried in olive oil and/or grilled. I often make these separate from whatever I want to serve them with, then add them to the dish at the end.

Switching up the ingredient list produces any kind of sausage you'd like. We make a lot of chorizo, for instance, and I make a mean apple-sage sausage. I'll post those with upcoming recipes.

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Looking for a 12-Step Program for Cheese Addiction

According to the book Breaking the Food Seduction: The Hidden Reasons Behind Food Cravings by Neal D. Barnard and Joanne Stepaniak, researchers discovered that cow’s milk has traces of morphine. Cow’s milk also has a protein called casein. Casein breaks apart during digestion and releases a whole goody bag of opiates. Casein is in milk, and it is especially concentrated in cheese (51). So, essentially, I guess that makes me a cheese-tweaker.

Now, the first Step in “The 12 Steps” states that I must admit I am powerless over my addiction – and that my life has become unmanageable. Hmmmm. So, sometimes I do feel powerless in front of the cheese case at the Flint Farmer’s Market, but I can’t exactly say my love of Havarti has made my life fall apart. I can quit any time I want to. Seriously. I’m just a social fondue-dipper.

When I became vegetarian I found that there are many levels. Flexitarians eat meat in moderation. Pescatarians eat fish. Lacto-ovo vegetarians, like me, don’t eat any animal flesh but eat eggs and dairy. Vegans take it further still, and don’t eat any animal products, including things like honey, gelatin, and (damnit!) cheese.

Early into this process I gave up drinking cow’s milk or using it in my cooking. I developed a taste almost immediately for unsweetened almond milk (which has fewer calories than skim milk and more calcium than whole milk). I still occasionally eat eggs, but mostly out of laziness- I really don’t enjoy cooking breakfast and a quick egg sandwich is a nifty shot of protein. Even so, if I was told tomorrow that I couldn’t have another egg ever, I’d be fine with that. But cheese? Cheese, glorious cheese? I don’t know about that. After about five minutes of searching vegan/vegetarian blogs you’ll find that the one thing standing in the way of thousands of vegetarians becoming straight-up vegans is that crazy morphine-infused monkey, cheese.

There are cheeses which are vegetarian-friendly, in that the rennet used to create them is not animal-derived (see this list for vegetarian cheeses). Most rennet is derived from the stomach tissue of a slaughtered calf, but there is vegetable rennet as well, and the cheeses on the list use that (or no rennet at all). But these vegetarian-friendly cheeses use cow or goat milk, so for vegans, they are still off-limits.

There are whole industries built around producing the perfect non-dairy vegan cheese. If you scroll down the message boards of any vegan blog you’ll see a lot of posts very much like this one:

“Hi there. I’m a new vegetarian who would like to become vegan but I don’t think I can give up cheese. Are there any vegan cheeses that actually taste like real cheese?”

And following it, you’ll invariably see a response which simply reads:

“No.”

Some brands, like Daiya, are pretty close, but Daiya is no more like Swiss Gruyere than aspirin is like morphine. Even so, I have been trying to develop a taste for vegan “cheeses” and hope to one day kick my habit. I have kids, people. I don’t want to be a full-blown casein junkie.

This quest led me to today’s recipe. One alternative I found was to make cheese out of nuts. It is a little time-consuming, but once you get the method figured out it’s easy to make soft cheeses that fill the void in your heart left by sharp Cheddar. It isn’t the same, but nut cheese is delicious and really appeals to my creative side. Switching around the nuts used and the added ingredients produces all sorts of interesting flavors and textures. Have I given up cheese completely? Not quite. But if I get better at making my own vegan versions, I just might.

Garlic Ravioli with Cashew Cheese


First things first: make the cheese about two days before.

Cashew Cheese

(Stolen from The Conscious Cook by Tal Ronnen, page 121. I made a few minor adaptations)




The acidophilus capsules I used

2 cups whole raw cashews (no cashew pieces because they are too dry and not creamy enough. They have to be RAW, otherwise they'll get rancid and you'll get sick and die. Or they'll just taste awful. Why risk either of those things?)

8 capsules Solgar Advanced 40+ Acidolphilus (you just want the powder from the capsules). Tal Ronnen uses New Chapter All-Flora Probiotic (powder from 6 capsules), but I couldn't find it. Whatever you get, check to make sure the brand is vegetarian. Generally gelatin capsules are NOT.

1 tablespoon nutritional yeast flakes
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ tablespoon onion powder (or more to taste. He uses a full tablespoon but I found that a little over-powering)
½ teaspoon white pepper
Dash of nutmeg, grated
4 tablespoons fresh herbs (I used fresh garlic scapes- the green tops) Tal uses tarragon and chives

1. Cover the cashews with cold, purified water in a non-reactive bowl and let it sit overnight (at least 12 hours).
2. The next day, mix together the probiotic powder in 2 tablespoons of the soaking water.
3. Drain the cashew nuts and put them in a blender or food processor with the probiotic powder mixture. Blend until smooth and creamy (it takes some patience. Keep scraping the sides with a rubber spatula).
4. Cover the bottom of a fine mesh colander with three layers of rinsed (and wrung dry) cheesecloth. Put the cashew nut mixture into the cheesecloth. Fold the layers of cheesecloth to cover the top of the vegan cheese and twist to tightly close the top.
5. Place the colander over a bowl. Put something heavy on top of the wrapped cheese to help press it as it ferments. Let the cashew cheese stand in a warm area for about 14 hours. Liquid whey will collect in the bottom of the bowl. Don't throw it out; you can use it when you make the pasta!
6. After 14 to 16 hours your cheese will smell yeasty and have a soft dairy cheese-like quality to it. Remove the cloth and put cheese into a food processor. Mix in all the other ingredients except the herbs.
7. Shape the cheese on a piece of parchment paper and put it in the fridge until firm (a few hours, or best is overnight)
8. When firmed up a bit, roll cheese in the herbs (or garlic scapes in my case).
9. Cut the cheese (couldn't resist)!

NOTE: If you are a sissy and are afraid to ferment the cheese (or too lazy to wait), just soak the nuts overnight then proceed right to the mix-in stage. You'll want to let it firm up in the fridge for a few hours and it will taste ok, I guess, but fermentation is what makes cheese, well, cheesy. Try it, you'll like it!

Ravioli (Look, Ma, no eggs!)
(I followed the recipe by Bob's Red Mill, which is a traditional semolina pasta recipe.)



1. I followed the pasta recipe, but I substituted the whey produced from my cheese-making for the water. If you don't have enough whey to adequately make the dough, just add more water.

2. I cheated, and dumped the dough ingredients in my bread maker to knead it. I rolled the dough out with my pasta maker. I started at the largest setting, then kept rolling it until it was at the thinnest setting. I also sprinkled minced garlic scapes into the dough before I built the raviolis.

3. I put a tablespoon of the cashew cheese into each ravioli, sealed it with water, then crimped the sides with a fork.

4. I cooked them in boiling, salted water for about 3 minutes, until they floated on top. When done, I gently tossed them in melted Earth's Balance (a vegan buttery-type spread that we actually prefer to butter) and sprinkled them with some grated nutmeg and more garlic scapes. Then I brushed my teeth because Mama had garlic breath something fierce. But it was totally worth it!

In closing: making nut cheese was so easy, I ended up making two more batches (one with walnuts, one with almonds). They were all delicioso and only lasted about three days. In a less gluttonous household, nut cheeses last at least a week or two in the refrigerator. Here are some serving suggestions:

1. Thin it with a little soy creamer (or almond milk if you made almond cheese) and use it as a sauce over pasta
2. Spread it in a sandwich or wrap
3. Cut in thick rounds and make bruscetta
4. Using a tablespoon, eat it straight out of the wrapping (you need to be in your underwear, standing in front of the refrigerator at 1 am to do this properly). Go nuts!

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What the Mouth Doesn’t Know Can’t Hurt It (or- Don’t Let Your Left Hand Know What Your Right Hand is Stuffing into Your Face)

I didn’t stop eating meat because I don’t like it. Granted, if I dwelled on what I was eating when I was still eating meat, I could pretty easily gross myself out. Even so, I’m an umami sort of girl- I would have chosen a pork chop over a slice of apple pie any day of the week. Giving up meat, for me, was a health issue and also a commitment to not support factory farming.

So if I was going to survive this transformation, I needed to find foods to bridge the gap from Meatopolis to Vegtopia. I needed to trick my brain until my tastebuds jumped on for the ride. Clearly, I love to cook. But since vegetarian and vegan cooking was new to me, it took some time for me to confidently prepare everyday meals. I needed to eat, you know, every day, and I wasn’t going to perfect my seitan recipe fast enough. At first I still wanted to eat meat without eating meat. Enter pre-packaged vegetarian cuisine!

It’s worth mentioning that while some of these products taste a hell of a lot like their animal counter-parts, some of them don’t. That was a big mind game that we had to work through in this house- we had to stop thinking of things as trick meat, and start thinking of these dishes as other food. I've rarely seen my husband as disappointed as he was when he bit into a meatloaf I made out of textured vegetable protein. He took one bite and pushed the plate away.

Me: “What’s the matter?”
Jason: “I bit into that expecting meatloaf.”
Me: “And?”
Jason: “That isn’t meatloaf.”

Nope. And Tofurky ain’t turkey, no matter how you slap it on a platter, surround it with roasted root vegetables, and slice it. But it’s damn good.

So, what follows is my list of processed faux meats, most all of which can be purchased at your local grocery store (and definitely at Whole Foods). Most all of these brands make a lot of different varieties; I’m only listing the ones I personally used. Just like any processed foods, I don't recommend eating these at the exclusion of healthier, whole foods. But they certainly are a support as you transition away from meat. These products got me from “there” to “here.” Even if you have no plans of abandoning meat, give some of these a try. You might be surprised at how good they are.

FYI: You should know that some of the meat alternative products aren’t vegan because they use dairy in some fashion. When in doubt read the label.

Boca Burgers


Chances are you’ve heard of Boca Burgers before. Readily available in typical grocery stores, these are really amazing burgers. I never was a big “hamburger” kind of person, but Boca burgers are really delicious. They have a nice “bite” to them and the mushroom-mozzarella burger is yummy.

Morningstar Farms


Even though I now know how to make my own Italian “sausage,” these babies got me through many an afterschool face-stuffing. Their texture is a bit soft, but the seasonings are really close to their piggy cousin. Morningstar has a large variety of products which are pretty good, but by no means the best (read: most meat-like) out there. I dabbled in their breakfast sausages which are a nice replacement (although a bit salty to me). My kids happen to like their “chicken nuggets” better than any other brand, but I can’t say the same.

Quorn


This mystery meat was probably the first thing I ate that assured me I could easily make it through my transitional stage. Quorn is (oh, man. See- when I explain it you’re going to be grossed out. But it’s far less gross than a factory farmed and slaughtered chicken. Just trust me) . . . Quorn is a manufactured protein (made in vats and processed like a lot of food you eat). It’s made out of what they call a mycroprotein, which . . . OK. Forget this. Here’s the website. Read it for yourself. Suffice it to say that it literally, magically, tastes like chicken (and turkey, and ground beef) and is really delicious. It’s vegetarian, not vegan, because they use egg whites in the manufacturing process. If I haven’t scared you off, you can find this product in the freezer section of your grocery store.

LightLife


LightLife makes the tempeh I use, and Mama looooooooooves tempeh! But we’re talking about ready-made faux meat products here. I have cooked with their "chicken" and "beef" strips before, and at first I didn’t care for them. Much like Jason and his meatloaf despair, I, too, bit into them and expected chicken (or beef). No, Ma’am. I also made it worse because I didn’t really cook them correctly (there are things you can do to season these strips to make them tastier). Their Buffalo Smart Wings are pretty good and we eat that a lot. Cut up in a stir-fry, their Savory Smart Wings taste like pork to me. Their lunchmeat is an acquired taste, but I do keep a package around for a quick sandwich (I prefer my homemade lunchmeat). They are also known for their hotdogs which my children refuse to eat and I haven’t really gotten around to trying for myself.

Upton’s Naturals Seitan

(Image taken from company website)

Upton’s had me at “hello,” with their sweet old-timey packaging. Seitan is a wheat-based “meat” which is chockfull of protein and really good for you. I’ve since learned how to make my own and season it to my liking, but Upton’s showed me how versatile seitan could be. Jason really likes their chorizo sausage and I prefer the Italian. Seitan takes some getting used to- the texture is a little, well, rubbery. If I started out with seitan I don’t know if I would have kept at this. Now I absolutely love it. It took some getting used to, though. This company also makes vegan tamales using their chorizo seitan. They are smack-your-Mexican-mama-good.

Tofurky


Yes- ok, bring on the Tofurky jokes. All I can tell you is that I made my first whole Tofurky roast about 3 months into being vegetarian and it honestly was delicious. It was “close” to turkey, but a little off. Not a bad “off,” but enough that you wouldn’t trick a serious turkey-phile. They also make the best lunchmeat I’ve had, but unfortunately it isn’t carried at my local store.

Match


Match is a wonderful product that I can only find at Whole Foods. Sadly, the closest Whole Foods is an hour away so I don’t get there too often. The texture of their ground meats is right on, and my youngest gorges himself on the meatballs I make out of their “chicken.” Seasoned correctly, this product is one that could definitely fool a meateater into thinking he’s eating meat (if that’s your idea of fun).

Field Roast


(Cue angel trumpets and beatific light shooting through impossibly white clouds). Field Roast calls itself a “grain meat” company, and I’m here to tell you they figured out some spectacular secret recipe. Their Celebration Roast is one of my favorite things to eat (so much so that I’ve banned it from my house because it was keeping me from learning to cook). Their meat loaf is amazing (it was a vegetarian meatloaf redemption at our house). Both of these products freeze really well which is lucky because I can only get them at Whole Foods. Their sausages are more widely available in local grocery stores. They have a really great variety (the apple sausage is to die), but their Celebration Roast is the crown jewel.

Gardein

(Image taken from company website)

Last, but not least, we come to Gardein. Amazingly, I just started using this product a few weeks ago. Since I’ve learned to cook vegetarian and vegan protein, I’ve honestly relied less and less on prepackaged products. But when I was stocking my pantry I also stocked my freezer with meat replacements, and last month I found a package of Gardein Beefless Tips waaaaaaaay in the back. I served these at my 4th of July party last week, and the first thing my guests said was that they would never guess that it wasn’t beef. It really is good stuff. The Chick’n cutlets have a great taste and texture. The Crispy Tenders are pretty darn good, too. I think I could go without all the other products I’ve listed (with the exception of my Field Roast Celebration Roast) and only purchase Gardein for convenience food. If you’re hesitant about replacing meat in your diet, buy a package of Chick’n Scallopine, and use it for your favorite chicken cutlet recipe. You won’t be disappointed.

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A Veg 4th of July (or, How I Force-Fed My Dear Friends)

This 4th of July saw a double celebration at our house. In addition to Independence Day, it was also a chance to try out entertaining as a new vegetarian.  I invited some close friends over (far too few for the colossal amount of food I made) and ate ate ate.

I used the party as a chance to make some dishes I’d been thinking about trying. I’m so grateful to my friends for trying everything (loving most all of it) and for giving up a prime meat-grilling holiday to come spend it with their veg pal.

Olive Tapenade
My friend Stephanie was visibly relieved when one of my other guests confessed that he didn’t care for olives.  She then proceeded to hover over the bowl of tapenade until it magically disappeared.
(stolen from Venturesome Vegan Cooking, [page 2] by J.M. Hirsch and Michelle Hirsch)

6 ounces Kalamata olives, pitted
6 ounces Spanish olives, pitted
2 tablespoons drained capers
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teapoon fresh lemon juice
½ teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled

(I varied this recipe by adding the lemon zest. I also put all the ingredients together to marinate overnight prior to processing them. The flavors were strong and wonderful)

1. Place all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until a course, thick mixture is formed.
2. Serve immediately or chill for at least an hour.

Fava Bean Dip
I never cooked with dried beans before becoming a vegetarian- who in the hell is organized enough to soak the damn things the day before you use them? I think I still have a bag of split peas from my first apartment (14 years ago). Beans, legumes, grains . . . gotta have them if you want a well-rounded vegetarian diet. So, when I began this veg-conversion a year ago, I started with stocking my pantry. Now my favorite shelf is the one with my assortment of grains and dried beans. A few months ago, I bought a bag of dried fava beans as a goof (because, of course, they have been made famous by Hannibal Lecter. The “fava beans and Chianti” line is oft quoted in my house). Let me just say that dried fava beans are u-g-l-y. They are freakishly large and misshapen. Their color is best described as blah. I had no idea what fava beans tasted like, just knew that my husband would get a laugh or two out of whatever I dreamed up to make out of those babies. Surprisingly, this dip was delicious and perfect on a hot summer day. Obviously, we paired this dip with-wait for it-Chianti.

1 16-ounce packaged of whole, dried fava beans
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 whole carrots, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 8-ounce container of Tofutti sour cream
½ tablespoon Berbere' Spice Mix
1 tablespoon lime juice
Chili powder, hot pepper flakes, hot sauce, salt, pepper to taste

1. Soak dried beans overnight.
2. Rinse beans, add fresh water (enough to cover beans by about 2”). Toss in the celery, carrots and onion and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes, until beans are cooked through.
3. Drain beans and discard vegetables. After they cool, remove the bean from the outer shell. Squeezing them does the trick. Some beans will be more done than others; don’t worry since you’re going to purée the dip.
4. Put shelled beans into a food processor. Add remaining ingredients and purée to desired taste and consistency. Put in refrigerator and chill for 2 hours or overnight. Serve with flatbread.

Lentil-Mushroom-Walnut Pâté
This was, hands down, my favorite dish of the day. I. could. not. stop. eating. I used the recipe exactly as-is because it is perfection!
(stolen from the Urban Chickpea)

1 cup Lentils de Puy (French green lentils)
3 cups vegetable stock, preferably unsalted
1 teaspoon dried Herbes de Provence
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons of olive oil
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 8-10 ounce package of cremini mushrooms (about 3 cups), thinly sliced
1/4 cup dry sherry (or 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar)
2 teaspoons of salt

1. Rinse the lentils until the water runs clear. Add them to a large pot with the vegetable stock and the Herbes de Provence and bay leaf. The stock should be about 2 inches above the lentils; add water if it’s not at that level. Bring up to a boil and then simmer until the lentils are fully cooked, about 45 minutes, adding water as necessary. The lentils will retain their shape, but will no longer be hard or gritty on the inside.

2. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 300 degrees. On a sheet tray, spread out the walnuts and toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. They will be slightly golden and fragrant. Set aside to cool.

3. Heat up a large saute pan and add the oil. Saute the onion over medium-high heat with a pinch of salt until it is soft and golden brown. Then add the minced garlic and saute for 30 seconds. Add the sliced mushrooms with another pinch of salt and saute until they are brown and much of the liquid has evaporated. The whole mixture should be soft and look caramelized. Then add the dry sherry, using it to scrape off any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Continue to cook until most of the sherry has evaporated. Then remove from heat.

4. In the food processor, pulse the walnuts until finely ground. Then add the cooked lentils (drained from their water and with the bay leaf removed), the mushroom mixture and the 2 teaspoons of salt. Puree until smooth. Taste the mixture and add salt until it tastes perfect. Then add two extra pinches of salt. It will taste too salty warm, but once it cools, it will taste perfect again. The palate perceives salt differently in hot and cold food.

5. Spoon mixture into a loaf pan, mold or tupperware and cover with plastic wrap. Then place a similarly-sized container on top and weigh it down to press the pate. Chill in the refrigerator for several hours. Invert on a plate to serve as an hors d’oeuvre or spread on bread for your sandwich.

Flatbread
(stolen from Venturesome Vegan Cooking,[page 29] by J.M. Hirsch and Michelle Hirsch)

3 cups unbleached white flour (plus some extra for rolling out)
1-1½ cups water, room temperature
1 teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Mix all ingredients together and knead for about 3 minutes. Add more water if needed. Dough should be heavy and a little sticky.
2. Knead the dough on a flat, floured surface for another minute or so. It should be mostly dry to the touch.
3. Roll out the dough and separate it into equal parts (6 for small individual pieces). Dough should be about ¼” thick.
4. You can cook these in a skillet with a little olive oil until they get a little puffy and start to brown up on each side. I brushed both sides with olive oil and threw them on the barbecue grill instead.

Strawberry-Almond Spinach Salad
I think I gave away the recipe with the name!

1 bag of fresh spinach, triple washed
½ carton of strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
1 handful of sliced almonds
¼ cup balsamic vinegar (I have a fancy-schmancy bottle of strawberry-balsamic vinegar that I used)
1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1. Put the salad fixings in a pretty bowl and toss gently.
2. Mix the vinegar and oil and serve alongside the salad.

Baked Beans
“Doctoring up” is a valued skill in my family’s kitchen. Baked beans are one of my favorite dishes to futz with because I believe it’s nearly impossible to screw them up. Dump open a few cans into the slow cooker, squirt a little of this, a little of that, and voilà!

2 cans vegetarian baked beans (I prefer drier baked beans, so I drain out about half of the sauce from the prepared beans before I use them)
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
¼ cup of your favorite spicy brown stone-ground mustard
½ cup catsup
1 large onion, chopped
½ cup molasses
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
Hot sauce (Tabasco, Franks Red Hot, etc) to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

1. Dump all ingredients into a slow cooker and turn the cooker on “high.”
2. Wait. Taste them about 10 times before they’re heated through and bubbling. Put in a little more of this, little more of that until they taste exactly how you like ‘em.

Potato Salad
Like the baked beans, this is another "little of this, little of that" recipe.

3 large russet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup(ish) of Vegenaise
½ cup of your favorite spicy brown stone-ground mustard
1 cup red onion, chopped
3 celery stalks (leaves included), chopped
½ cup red bell pepper, diced
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon paprika
Hot sauce (Tabasco, Franks Red Hot, etc) to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste

1. Boil the potatoes until fork-tender (don't overcook).
2. Drain potatoes and combine with remaining ingredients, tasting and adjusting amounts as needed.
3. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Sprinkle top with a little more paprika before serving.

Veggie Burgers
This recipe has a lot of ingredients and is a little time-consuming. The good news is that not only are these delicious, they freeze well. So- make a batch and freeze some for later!
(Adapted from Guy Fieri)

2 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons diced red onion
4 tablespoons diced black olives
4 tablespoons diced red bell peppers
2 teaspoons diced jalapeno (or more if you like it extra spicy)
3 tablespoons diced garlic
3 tablespoon diced artichoke (not marinated)
1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
1 15-ounce can white beans, drained
1 ½ cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 teaspoon dried oregano
2 tablespoon minced fresh parsley leaves
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon celery salt
½ teaspoon ground sage
4 tablespoons Italian bread crumbs
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons vital wheat gluten (OR 2 eggs)

1. In a medium sauté pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and all raw vegetables except beans. Sauté until translucent. Remove and cool.
2. Add veggies to beans and mix thoroughly, smashing the beans with your hands. The chickpeas can be pretty difficult to smash, so you may want to pulse them quickly in a food processor until they’re broken up a little. You don’t want to purée the beans because you want some texture to the burgers.
3. Add all dry ingredients along with the gluten (or eggs). Thoroughly mix all ingredients. Use a ½ cup measuring cup and form into 10 patties, cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. In sauté pan add 1 tablespoon olive oil, and cook patties 2 to 3 minutes per side. If you want to toss these on the grill, brush both sides with olive oil and then turn only once.

Gardein Kabobs
I used the recipe from the Gardein site with the following variations. First, I defrosted the beefless tips in the refrigerator before I put them in the marinade. I also marinated the tips overnight. Other changes of mine are noted in the recipe.

2 packages Gardein Beefless Tips
½ cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons lime juice
3 teaspoons agave syrup (or honey if you aren’t vegan)
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon peeled and grated fresh ginger root (I used ginger paste)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon chili-garlic sauce
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
½ cup toasted sesame seeds (I added these to the actual marinade. Those little suckers held on for dear life, even through the grilling process.)

1. Combine all ingredients together and marinate overnight.
2. When making the skewers, you may want to use the following: pineapple chunks, red onion, green bell pepper, button mushrooms, cherry tomatoes. Make them colorful and pretty!
3. Soak wood skewers in water for about 20 minutes before building kabobs and grilling them. I brushed the veggies with a little olive oil before grilling the kabobs. Heat kabobs until the veggies and tips are heated through, about 3-4 minutes per side. Baste with extra marinade as you grill them if desired. Depending on how you make these, you’ll have enough “meat” for at least 8 kabobs.

Tempeh Riblets
Oh, Tempeh! What’s your deal? To paraphrase, “Some are born to love tempeh, some achieve tempeh-love, and some have tempeh thrust upon them (and aren’t too happy about it).” I have grown to love this wonder food. My kids? Not so much. To their credit, they continue to try everything I make with tempeh, but the texture is not their thing. Oh well- more for me! I recommend doing this recipe a day or so before you want to grill them, since the tempeh requires a little “pre” preparation simmering prior to the marinade.

Simmering the tempeh first:

2 8-ounce packages of tempeh
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 cups water
¾ cup soy sauce
1 tablespoon minced garlic (I use the pre-minced kind that’s packed in oil)
1 tablespoon each, rosemary, sage and thyme (fresh if you have it)
1 tablespoon dark miso paste (optional)

1. Cut the tempeh in ¼”-thick slices so you make little “riblets.”
2. Combine all ingredients in a large pot and bring to boil; reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

While the tempeh is simmering, prepare the marinade:

¼ cup maple syrup
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper
3-4 teaspoons liquid smoke
4 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons coarsely-ground black pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy
1 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Steak Grilling Blend

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a container large enough for the tempeh and the marinade.
2. Remove the tempeh from the simmering liquid and put right into the marinade while it’s still hot.
3. Marinate overnight.
4. Here’s an optional step prior to slapping these puppies and the grill and slathering them with the bbq sauce of your dreams: I made these about a week before I needed them. After marinating them, I pre-cooked them on my George Forman grill. This got out some of the excess liquid, but also gave me those awesome grill marks. Then I froze ‘em until the party. One less thing to make that day. I defrosted them in the freezer the night before, then we cooked them out on the grill with the sauce until they were all carmelized and smoking hot!

Truffles
These are so dark-chocolaty good it will make your nostrils flare. Keep them refrigerated and sprinkle with cocoa just before serving. They need to be kept chilled while you store them, otherwise they get too soft.
(stolen from Venturesome Vegan Cooking,[page 177] by J.M. Hirsch and Michelle Hirsch)

½ cup maple or agave syrup (or honey)
2 cups almonds, dry roasted
1 12-ounce package of silken tofu
2 cups dark chocolate chips or chunks
Cocoa powder for garnish

1. Put syrup (or honey) in saucepan and bring to boil over medium heat. Add almonds and stir until mixture gets thick and caramel-y (about 12-15 minutes).
2. Spread the almond mixture out on parchment or waxed paper to cool and harden. When it’s hardened, put almonds into the food processor and pummel the heck out of them, until it resembles a coarse flour. Empty out the processor (you’ll need it for the tofu) and set the almonds aside.
3. Meanwhile, put the tofu into a food processor and purée until smooth.
4. Now you need to melt the chocolate chips. You can use the microwave and stir method, or do it on the stove using a double boiler. Once the chocolate is all melted, add to the tofu. Next, add half of the almond mixture and process it again until well-mixed.
5. Spray an 8x8 baking dish with Pam and pour the tofu mixture in. Toss the dish into the freezer for about 30 minutes until firm.
6. Use a melon-baller to scoop out and form into balls. Roll the balls alternately into cocoa powder and remaining almonds. This is messy, messy, messy work, but the end result is well worth it. Because these are so moist, the cocoa powder will absorb right into the truffles if you don’t serve them right away. Just sprinkle them again when you’re ready to eat them. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Fruit-Topped Vegan Cheesecake
This recipe freezes really well. I actually prefer a slice straight from the freezer.

3 teaspoons Egg Replacer + 4 tablespoons water (OR 2 eggs)
2 containers Tofutti cream cheese
1 Tofutti sour cream
1 cup turbinado sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest (if you like it “lemony”)
3 tablespoons unbleached white flour
4 cups desired fruit
½ cup turbinado sugar
1 prepared pie crust (here’s a recipe for vegan graham crackers from Vegan Yum Yum)

1. Mix all cake ingredients with a hand mixer or food processor until smooth.
2. Pour cake mixture into crust and bake at 350° for an hour or until cake is set and the center bounces back when you touch it.
3. While cake is baking, prepare fruit topping. In a saucepan over medium-high heat, add fruit and sugar and stir to mix. Heat until mixture gets syrupy and fruit begins to break down. The mixture will thicken a bit the longer you cook it, but you can add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch mixed in ¼ of water to thicken the fruit topping even more.
4. When fruit topping is to desired thickness, remove from heat and allow it to cool.
5. When cake is finished baking, cool it on the counter then refrigerate for at least 2 hours along with the fruit topping. Your cheesecake will not be bright white because natural sugar has a caramel color to it. When ready to serve, cover the cake with the fruit or just top individual slices.

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