Tahini Yogurt Sauce/Dressing

1/2 c. Plain Soy Yogurt

4 tbsp. Tahini

Juice of 1/2 Lemon

1 Clove Garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Cumin

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed.

Herbed Pesto

2 c. Basil
1/4 c. Cilantro
1/4 c. Parsley
2 tbsp. Pine Nuts
4 cloves Garlic
2 tsp. Miso Paste
2 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Water (plus more if needed)
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice

Combine basil, cilantro, parsley, pine nuts and garlic into a food processor and process until chopped.  Add in remaining ingredients and process until smooth.  Add more water, 1 teaspoon at a time, if needed to thin out the pesto.  For a lower calorie pesto, you can replace the olive oil with water or vegetable broth, but it won't be as rich.

White Bean Dip

1 15oz. Can of White Beans
2 cloves Garlic
1 tbsp. + 1 tsp. Olive Oil
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1/2 tsp. Salt
1 tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
2 tbsp. Parsley
1/8 tsp. Pepper

Drain and rinse white beans. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth. This recipe is similar to hummus, but with a creamier, more Italian flavor. Give it a shot!

Sweet and Savory Flatbread

1 pkg. Prepared Pizza Dough
Cornmeal
1/2 recipe of Roasted Garlic Hummus
1/2 large Kabocha Squash, roasted
2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 tsp. Dried Thyme
1/2 tsp. Dried Rosemary
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
2 Leeks, sliced
1 Green Apple, julienned
Basil

For the squash:
Preheat oven to 375.
Cut squash in half.  Remove seeds and outer shell.  Cut squash into 3/4" cubes and coat with 1 tbsp. of olive oil.  Place squash in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast for 30 minutes, turning half way through.  Remove from oven.

For the leeks/apples:
Slice the leeks, using the white and light green parts only. Separate the leeks and place in a colander. Run under cold water to remove any dirt that may be caught inside. Remove the skin and core the apple. Julienne (cut into very thin slivers) the apple.
Over medium heat, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil in a skillet. Add leeks and
saute' 8 minutes, or until softened. Add salt about half way through. Add thyme, rosemary, pepper and apples and cook another 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

For the flat bread:
Preheat oven to whatever package says (mine was 425).
Dust a baking sheet with cornmeal.
Roll out pizza dough into the shape of a rectangle to 1/2" thickness. Transfer to a prepared baking sheet. Spread Roasted Garlic Hummus over the pizza dough. Evenly distribute the roasted squash atop the pizza dough. Repeat with the leek/apple mixture. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and top with freshly torn basil.

Let the flatbread cool for 5 minutes before cutting.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

Don't worry, this hummus won't scare vamps away, but it IS oh so tasty.  Eat it with raw veggies, crackers or breads for a snack, or use it as a spread for sandwiches, flatbreads, etc. This hummus is creamy, garlicky goodness, and we know garlic goes good on anything!

2 bulbs of Garlic, roasted
15 oz. can of Chickpeas + 1/4 c. reserved liquid
1 1/2 tbsp. Tahini
5 tbsp. Lemon Juice
1 tbsp. Olive Oil (plus more for roasting garlic)
1 tsp. Cumin
1/2 tsp. Coriander
3/4 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Pepper
2 tbsp. Parsley, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 375.  Peel bulbs down to a thin outer layer and cut off the tops of the bulbs so that each clove is exposed.  Coat with olive oil and wrap in foil.  Place on a baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes. When the garlic is done, simply squeeze the cloves out of their skin.

While the garlic is roasting, you can prep the rest of the ingredients and get the hummus started.

Drain and rinse chickpeas, reserving 1/4 cup of the liquid.  Combine all of the ingredients, excluding the parsley in a food processor.  Process until smooth and creamy, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides.  Add in parsley and process another few seconds until combined.

Spinach & Shaved Fennel Salad w/ Red Pepper Dressing

Roasting one little red pepper for this dressing sounds like a lot of work, but its really not.  Especially if you're preparing something else time consuming for dinner.  You could just do what you have to and forget about the pepper.  If that doesn't convince you, you can always buy them pre-roasted.  Just make sure to use a whole pepper, not one thats fallen apart, and rinse off the liquid its contained in.

6 oz. Spinach
1 small Fennel Bulb, shaved on the mandoline (or very thinly sliced)
1/4 c. Fresh Basil, torn
1 recipe for Red Pepper Dressing (below)

Toss spinach and basil with red pepper dressing and top with shaved fennel.


RED PEPPER DRESSING
1 Red  Bell Pepper, roasted
1/4 c. Silken Tofu
1 tsp. Lemon Juice
1 tsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Balsamic Vinegar
1 small clove Garlic
1/4-1/2 tsp. Salt
1/8-1/4 tsp. Pepper
1 tbsp. Basil, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 375.  Remove the stem and seeds from the pepper.  Rub with olive oil and roast on a baking sheet lined with foil for 40-45 minutes, turning halfway through.  Transfer the pepper to a paper bag and close to let the heat from the pepper steam off the the skin for 15-20 minutes.  By this time, the skin should easily be peeled away from the meat of the pepper.

Combine all of the ingredients, aside from the basil, in a food processor and process until completely smooth. Then add in the basil and process another 20-30 seconds until it has been chopped smaller and integrated with the rest of the ingredients.

Spicy Soba Noodle Stir Fry

STIR FRY

1/2 tsp. Ginger, grated

2 cloves Garlic, minced

3 Green Onions

3 c. Napa Cabbage, shredded

3 c. Shiitake Mushrooms, sliced

1/3 c. Bean Sprouts (I used mung beans)

3 oz. Buckwheat Soba Noodles, pre-cooked or dried (if using dried, cook according to manufacturer's  directions before adding to the vegetables.)

Over medium heat add a little bit of oil to a large skillet, enough to coat the bottom.  Add the garlic, ginger and green onions and saute' 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant. Add in the mushrooms and saute' another minute.  Add cabbage and half of sauce.  Cook another 5-7 minutes until cabbage has cooked down, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat slightly and add in bean sprouts, soba noodles and remaining sauce. Toss to combine and cook until heated through.

SPICY DRESSING

1.5 tsp. Toasted Sesame Oil

3/4 tsp. Olive Oil

2 tbsp. Seasoned Bean Paste

1.5 tsp. Rice Vinegar

3/4 tsp. Mirin

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until completely combined.

                                                  

                                        

            Yummy Seasoned Bean Paste!  

Slightly spicy and very salty.  The market had one labeled spicy, but I didn't get it because I was scared I would burn my tongue off, which I'm sure I would've, because this one was just right.  I also omitted using any salt or soy sauce because it was so salty on its own.  The vinegar also helps to cut down some of the saltiness.

*I served this with a side of roasted kabocha squash.

Falafel!!!

This past weekend I had my parents over for dinner.  This was a bit of a challenge becuase, well, they're not so much picky as they are strangers to a lot of the amazing food out there.  Not to mention they love meat (ick).  So I wanted to give them a quick, satisfying meal that wasn't too foreign or screaming of veganism while still introducing them to something new.  After racking my brain, I decided to cook a Mediterranean feast that consisted of falafel, tabouli style rice, saute'd spinach and a variety of dips to go with toasted pita.

These falafel are super easy and quick to make.  You can put them in the pita with a variety of vegetables, make them a little bigger and substitute for a veggie patty, or serve them plain to be enjoyed in all their deliciousness like I did.  This recipe serves 2-3 people.  I doubled it because I was feeding two hungry boys.

1 15 oz. Can Chickpeas
1/2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Lemon Juice
zest of 1/2 Lemon
1 tbsp. Tahini
2 cloves Garlic
1 tsp. Cumin
3/4 tsp. Coriander
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/2 Yellow Onion, diced
1 tbsp. Parsley, chopped
1 tsp. Baking Powder
1/4 c. Breadcrumbs

Pre-heat oven to 400 and lightly brush a baking sheet with oil. Drain and rinse chickpeas to get rid of any excess salt. Combine chickpeas, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in a food processor. Pulse until combined and chickpeas are mashed, but not too smooth. Stir in remaining ingredients until combined.  From here, you can let the falafel sit for an hour and allow the flavors to develop or cook right away.

Use an ice cream scoop to measure, shape falafel into 1" thick disks and place on baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Flip falafel and bake another 10. Serve with tahini yogurt sauce.

I always love a salad topped with falafel (Thank you for introducing me Fred 62!)

Savory Tempeh w/ a Spinach & Golden Beet Salad & a Creamy Lemon Tarrogon Dressing

Lemon Tarragon Dressing

2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

2 Tbsp. plain soy yogurt

1 1/2 tsp. dried tarragon

1/2 shallot

2 cloves roasted garlic

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

4 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Combine everything  but the oil in a food processor or blender and blend until smooth.  With the motor still running, slowly add in the oil.  

Tempeh

1 pckg. tempeh

1/4 c. olive oil

1/4 c. water or veg. broth

2 Tbsp. white balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 tsp. maple syrup

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/3 c. chopped parsley

1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Cut tempeh into desired shapes (I cut mine into thirds, then cut the thirds in half to create triangles).  Steam for 10 minutes.  Combine remaining ingredients for the marinade.  Let the tempeh cool about 10 minutes before adding to the marinade (spoon the marinade on top of the tempeh as well).  Let marinate in the fridge for at least 2 hours, turning over half way through.

Once you have marinated the tempeh, set your over to broil.  Place the tempeh on a baking sheet and broil 5-7 minutes on each side, spooning the remaining marinade over the tempeh when flipping.

*Pictured above, I also roasted beets for the salad and served baby potatoes (boiled) with olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper as a side.