Savory · Sweet · Herbivorous
Juicy, toothsome portobellos rest on top of a savory salad of roasted broccoli, chickpeas, nutty grains and tart apple tossed with fresh lemon and basil dressing. The components for the salad are easy to prepare ahead of time so this nutritious and delicious meal comes together in a snap. Continue reading “Portobello, Broccoli, Chickpea and Grain Salad with Fresh Lemon Basil Dressing”
Comforting noodles swimming in a creamy, savory and nutritious sauce studded with roasted tomatoes and topped with a crispy “buttery” breadcrumb topping. We’re blending ready-made Romesco or Marinara sauce with a creamy cashew base to bump up the nutrients and to get things extra lush, which also means this meal comes together in a snap! Continue reading “Creamy Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes and Crispy Topping”
While this quiche is great anytime, it is a really great option when hosting a brunch where you have a bit of mixed crowd in terms meat eaters and vegetarians. Continue reading “Asparagus, Leek and Tempeh Bacon Quiche”
Say hello to one of your new favorite salads, with all the right flavor and texture notes being hit! Roasted veggies and fresh kale are tossed with an avocado Caesar dressing, and then sprinkled with bright red cabbage shreds, sunflower seeds and tempeh bacon. This makes a great prep-ahead lunch, just keep the dressing air-tight and separate until serving.
Continue reading “Roasted Vegetable & Kale Salad with Avocado Caesar Dressing”
A savory chickpea stew is nestled beneath flaky biscuits. This nourishing and comforting meal is a real crowd-pleaser! Continue reading “Chickpea Pot Pie with Flaky Biscuits”
Colcannon, or Irish mashed potatoes, is baked over a hearty stew filled with veggies and seasoned tempeh swimming in a delicious mushroom stout gravy. Continue reading “Colcannon & Stout Shepherd’s Pie”
Elegant AND easy? Yes, please! Serve warm for a quick dinner and pack up the rest to eat chilled for lunch the next day.
It’s funny how pasta shape can impact a dish. While I’ve always enjoyed eating noodles, we’ve been eating them much more often since having kids. I dress them up with so many combinations of sauces, veggies, nuts, and legumes. While our kids love this, it just feels a little fancier than say mac and cheeze and it I think it’s because the orzo is such an elegant shape. There’s cheezy flavor here with by adding nutritional yeast, garlic and olive oil are the background flavors, the cranberries give a burst of sweetness and tartness, while the asparagus and lemon make this dish fresh and bright. Add a sprinkle of toasted almonds, you’ve got a bit of crunch I hope you enjoy this easy recipe, and perhaps it’ll become part of your meal rotation like it has become part of ours!
So many ways to make pasta, so little time! Luckily you don’t need much time to prepare this spin on the classic spaghetti e olio which has been veganized with added texture and nutrition upgrades in an easy and flavorful dish. Continue reading “Garlic Crumb Pasta with Seared Mushrooms and Kale”
This hearty and flavorful soup is very simple to make and perfect for a cozy winter meal. The flavor of the potatoes is enriched by roasting them first and can be done ahead of time so it’ll take you only 15 minutes to make this delicious soup once you’re ready for it!
Of all the delicious food my grandmother made over the years, her potato leek soup would rank in the top 5 for me. It was so comforting, warm, lightly but deeply flavored, a bit salty and so perfect with a thick slice of fresh bread. I’ve since come up with my own vegan version which, to my delight, my daughter proclaimed as being her favorite soup after trying it.
It’s funny how food can bubble up emotions in us. The thing is, my daughter who is 5 years old is so much like my grandmother. So strong-willed and persistent, a leader, creative, improvising, social, and so complex in emotions. My grandmother was not a stereotypical granny. She was boisterous and fought for what she thought was right (or against what she thought was wrong), not intimidated to approach her political representatives demanding change. I recall her marching back into a grocery store when she had been overcharged 10 cents. It wasn’t the money, it was the principle. She worked outside the home while managing a household with 4 kids, sewed her own clothes and home furnishings, cooked and baked from scratch, stayed up to date with technology, and bought herself a sports car in her 60’s. She had an editorial column in the local newspaper, and she volunteered on projects for literacy and food accessibility. I had so much admiration for her, especially as woman who grew up in a generation in which women were not encouraged use their voices or to do as much outside the home.
While my daughter challenges me daily as she pushes and explores the limits of being a dependent child, I always try to keep my grandmother’s spirit in mind. I want to be careful to allow and to encourage my daughter to be who she is and not snuff out that bright flame she has within her. It’s such a balance of guidance, encouragement and correction, with some days being better than others. In the end I want her to speak and live her truth, and to have all the happiness in the world as any mother would want for her children.
And how lucky am I to have these generations of females around me who know their worth, living their lives vibrantly and really appreciating an amazing bowl of potato leek soup.
This vegan spin on the classic Italian Wedding Soup is comforting, delicious, and full of texture and nourishment. Savory sausage bean balls are tucked into a warm broth with tiny pasta and vibrant greens. I used a gorgeous Redbor kale, but you can easily sub in spinach or escarole. Make the bean balls ahead of time to pop into the soup for an easy weeknight meal!
The sausage beans balls for this recipe come together easily. One bowl and a baking tray are all you need. Once the beans have been mashed up a bit and all the other ingredients have been added, the bean dough is kneaded. This is an important step so that the gluten strands can develop and hold the balls together. Gluten is amazing for this reason. It’s what gives bread its structure, what holds a lot of store-bought veggie meats together, it’s the main ingredient in seitan and gives veggie meats that striated look and “meaty” texture. The second very important step is to let the bean dough chill in the fridge so that the gluten strands have time to become hydrated. If you skip these steps, I suspect the balls will taste amazing but they will be more fragile. We want to set them up so they hold together in the yummy soup we’re about to make!
The soup is a nice simple one, a veggie broth with carrots, onions, garlic, herbs, white wine for some dressed up flavor, tiny pasta and some torn kale. A lot of Italian Wedding Soup recipes call for spinach or escarole, but kale is what I had at the time and it was perfect. The pasta is cooked in the broth so you have one less pot to wash later, and the noodles pick up the flavors of the broth.
Once the bean balls are made, keep them out of the soup until it’s time to serve. If they are dumped in and sit for a while in hot broth, they will swell and become fragile. Ladle some broth in to each bowl when it’s time to eat, and place some bean balls on top.
These bean balls are also great in other dishes. Place them in a toasted bun and ladle hot pasta sauce over them, serve them over spaghetti and sauce, or toss a few in a bowl of mixed roasted and fresh veggies with your favorite dressing or hummus for a lunch bowl.
