Vegan Rustic White Beans and Mushrooms Recipe

Ingredients:

2 cups dried white beans, soaked for at least 8 hours
1 small onion, peeled and sliced in half
1 stalk celery, cut into two pieces
1 small carrot, sliced in half lengthwise
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 teaspoons dried tarragon, or 2 tablespoons fresh
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 large leek, sliced thinly
1/2 pound (about 2 generous cups) mushrooms, either cremini, shiitake, or oyster, or a combination, rinsed and sliced thinly
1 1/2 teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground pepper

Drain and rinse the beans and transfer them to a stockpot.  Add 4 cups of cold water, cover, and bring to a boil.  Boil for about 3 minutes. Skim off any white foam from the top.  Cover the pot and lower the heat to medium; add he onion, celery, carrot, thyme, and tarragon.

Simmer for about 45 minutes, until the beans are very tender.  Remove the onion, carrot, and celery (either discard or use in a stock).  Lower the heat to low and continue to simmer while preparing the remaining vegetables.  The beans should resemble a very thick stew, not a soup.  If there's too much liquid, leave the pot uncovered and stir occasionally.

About 10 minutes before the beans are done, place the garlic and 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a cold skillet.  Heat the skillet over medium heat, allowing garlic to sizzle for about 30 seconds.  Add the chopped leek and saute until soft, 1 to 2 minutes.  Scrape the leeks into beans.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan, allow it to warm for about 30 seconds, and add the mushrooms.  Sprinkle the mushrooms lightly with 1/2 teaspoon salt and saute until most of the mushroom liquid has evaporated, anywhere from 8 to 12 minutes depending on the kind of mushroom.  When most of the excess liquid is gone, add the mushrooms to beans.  Turn off the heat and season the beans with the remaining salt (or more, if desired) and freshly ground black pepper.  Allow the beans to stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

B made these for me to bring to Christmas dinner on Sunday, so I'd have a protein option.  We tried a little bit of it for lunch today and it was AMAZING.  I'm curious to see what the family thinks, as I know some don't like mushrooms and others have expressed their dislike of dried beans (preferring mushier canned beans instead.  Oh well, more for me & B then!

"These are simple, homey, French-inspired, stick-to-your-ribs beans fro early autumn days.  The tarragon and leeks really shine through the mild white beans, and the mushrooms add a chewy bite.  This recipe is made with dried beans; canned beans cannot be substituted, so plan accordingly and soak the beans overnight or in the morning before you leave to work." - from Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero's "Veganomicon: the ultimate vegan cookbook"

Andes Creme de Menthe Chunk Cookies

Ingredients:

1/2 cup salted butter - softened

3/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup white granulated sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. vanilla extract

2 eggs

2-2/3 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 package of Andes® Crème de Menthe Baking Chips

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350° F.
2.  Blend butter, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, vanilla and eggs until mixed.
3.  Stir in Andes Baking Chips and then flour.
4.  Chill approximately one hour in the refrigerator.
5.  Measure out approximately 1 oz. of dough. Form a ball and slightly flatten.
6.  Raise oven rack one level above the middle and bake on non-stick baking pans.
7.  Bake at 350° F for approximately 8 - 10 minutes.
8.  Cool on pans for two minutes before removing.

Yield:
4 dozen cookies.

I made these for the first time this Christmas, and they turned out to be the most "Christmasy" thing I actually baked this year!  They are surprisingly good, not overwhelmingly minty, and just the right amount of sweetness & chocolate.  I can't wait to see what my family thinks of them this year... I have a feeling a certain mint-loving cousin is going to be a fan!

White Chocolate Macademia Nut Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients:

1 c butter, softened

1 c granulated sugar

3/4 c packed light brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 1/2 c all purpose flour*

1 tsp baking soda

12 oz white chocolate chips

1 c macadamia nuts, chopped

1/2 c dried cranberries

*This recipe is for the original white cookies, to make chocolate cookies like those shown in the picture below, omit 1/2 c flour and add 1/2 c cocoa!

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In large bowl, beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt with electric mixer until creamy.
3. Add eggs, beat well.
4. Stir together flour and baking soda (and cocoa for chocolate cookies), gradually add to butter mixture beating until well blended.
5. Stir in white chocolate chips, macadamia nuts and cranberries.
6. Drop rounded teaspoons of batter onto ungresed cookie sheets.
7. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set (edges should be golden brown on white cookies, and the center should be set).
8. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to wire rack to cool completely. 

I first made these when I moved to Milwaukee for graduate school and didn't have much money to buy Christmas gifts for friends and family.  I made these to give away instead and they have become a favorite holiday treat for all!

Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins Recipe

1 1/3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed natural brown sugar
1/1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
2/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Fuji apple, cored, peeled and diced*
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped**
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dried flaked unsweetened coconut, divided

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; break up any brown sugar lumps with your fingers of a wooden spoon.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla, then add to flour mixture and stir just until combined.

Add apples, raisins, carrots, walnuts and 1/4 cup of the coconut and stir gently until well combined.

Spoon batter into 16 paper-lined muffin tins,*** filling each about 2/3 full.  Top evenly with remaining coconut and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through.

*I used the organic local apples I had on hand, and sliced them rather than diced

**I omitted the walnuts

***I used a pan of 6 giant muffins instead, and omitted the paper lining as I wanted a crunchier outside to my muffins.

Nutrition: Per serving (1 muffin):
200 calories (110 from fat), 12g total fat, 1.5g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 170 mg sodium, 21g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 14g sugar), 3 g protein.

I've been hunting for a good recipe for these muffins for a while now.  I buy one almost every morning at work from the Alterra Coffee shop on campus (The Grind).  The coffee shop doesn't offer the nutrition information, but they will show you an ingredients list if you ask for it.  This recipe from Whole Foods is the closest I've found to the ingredients used by Alterra.  This one is missing ingredients such as wheat germ, and has extra ingredients such as walnuts, but now that I've made them once according to the recipe, I feel confident that I can experiment and tweak it to get them tasting even closer to my beloved Alterra muffins!

Maple Oatmeal Bread Recipe

1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
2 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 cups bread flour
3/4 cup rolled oats
1 tbsp gluten
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp SAF yeast or 2 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast

1. Place all the ingredients in the pan according to the order in the bread machine's manufacturer's instructions.  Set crust on dark and program for the Basic cycle; press Start. (This recipe is not suitable for use with the Delay Timer.)  The dough ball will be firm but springy.  If it seams too stiff, dribble with some water during kneading.

2. When the baking cycle ends, immediately remove the bread from the bap and place it on a rack.  Let cool to room temperature before slicing.

*Got this recipe from a co-worker who makes it weekly.  I tried it earlier this fall and it was AMAZING!  It was very hearty and not too sweet, could make a very healthy whole grain daily bread!


Everything Bread Recipe

1 1/4 c water

2 T honey
2 t oil (any variety)
1 1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c bread flour
1/2 c rolled oats
4t gluten flour
1/4 c sunflower seeds*
1/4 c pumpkin seeds*
1/8 c sesame seeds*
2 T poppy seeds*
2T flax seeds*
1/4 c millet or quinoa
3/4 t salt
1 1/2 t yeast

1. Add water, oil and honey to the bread machine
2. Add dry ingredients (flour, oats, seeds, quinoa, salt) - mix these up all together in a separate bowl and then add. 
3. Make a small indentation in mixture....then add yeast, making sure it's not touching any of the liquid ingredients
4. Set bread machine on whole wheat cycle
5. As it is mixing, check the mixture...you may need to add a little bit of water

*you can substitute any other seeds for the above, or double up if you're out of something and the bread still turns out great.

Got this recipe from a friend who was raving about it.  I'm so excited to try it!

Vegan Minestrone Soup Recipe

The day before soak 1/2 pound each of dried pinto beans and dried great northern beans.

4 Tbsp butter

1 large onion, large chop
2 cloves garlic, minced
water
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 14oz can fresh cut tomatoes
6 carrots, peeled and sliced
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced
salt and pepper
2 bay leaves
your favorite small pasta such as bowties, penne or shells

1. Melt butter in a large soup pan
2. Add onion and garlic
3. Saute until translucent
4. Add carrots and potatoes and sweat on law heat, covered for 8-10 minutes
5. Add tomatoes
6. Drain soaked beans and add to soup
7. Cover with water to 1 inch above vegetables, add Italian seasoning and bay leaf
8. Simmer for 2 to 3 hours
9. Salt and pepper to taste
10. While soup is simmering cook 1/2 pound of pasta according to package directions
11. Serve hot, adding pasta as you serve
12. Garnish with Parmesan cheese

This recipe was made for me by my grandmother for lunch yesterday.  She had all the granddaughters over for a heritage baking day, and served four types of soup for us to sample for lunch, including this vegan one for me!  It was a little mild, but with some salt and pepper added, it was very hearty and satisfying.  The carnivores who tried it added some Parmesan cheese on top, and found that to be even tastier then!

Texas Caviar Recipe

1/2 onion, chopped 
1 green bell pepper, chopped 
1 bunch green onions, chopped 
2 jalapeno peppers, chopped 
1 tablespoon minced garlic 1 pint cherry tomatoes, quartered 
1 (8 ounce) bottle zesty Italian dressing 
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained 
1 (15 ounce) can black-eyed peas, drained 
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander 
1 bunch chopped fresh cilantro



In a large bowl, mix together onion, green bell pepper, green onions, jalapeno peppers, garlic, cherry tomatoes, zesty Italian dressing, black beans, black-eyed peas and coriander. Cover and chill in the refrigerator approximately 2 hours. Toss with desired amount of fresh cilantro to serve. 

This is a recipe one of my dear friends (whom I met studying abroad in Scotland) makes for parties.  It is a dip to be served with corn or tortilla chips.


She will often modify this recipe with some of the following changes: usually not as much jalapeno, no coriander, sometimes double the beans, or use black eye peas, sometimes even adding corn or Hominy.

Marinated Vegetable Salad Recipe

5 c. broccoli florets
2 cucumbers, peeled & sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green pepper, thinly sliced
1 red pepper, thinly sliced
3 carrots, peeled & thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) Italian dressing
12 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
Salt & pepper


Combine all ingredients except the tomatoes and salt & pepper well in large covered bowl. Cover and refrigerate overnight, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes and toss. Season with salt and pepper. 


This could be made with any assortment of vegetables.  I think cauliflower, radishes, mushrooms, olives, regular tomatoes, and even black beans or chickpeas would all be really good in this one too!


I made this side dish this summer before going vegan, and had used 1/2 c. shredded Parmesan cheese as well, though I think it would be just as good vegan style and plan to make it that way next summer with my fresh garden and CSA veggies!

Quinoa with Black Beans and Mango Salad Recipe

Quinoa Salad with Black Beans and Mango* 

TIME: 35 MINUTES; 15 MINUTES IF THE QUINOA IS ALREADY COOKED

Top secret: It isn't rocket science--you can make a salad like this with any leftover grains, beans, and fruit you have around.  It is a really straight forward salad that uses simple, fresh ingredients.  Each bite will bring new flavors to the table--mango, scallions, cilantro, red peppers... you never know what you're gonna get!  Best of all, it takes practically no time if you have some leftover quinoa on hand.

TIP:  If you don't have any leftover quinoa, don't sweat it; it's easy and fast to prepare.  Bring 1 cup of dried quinoa and 2 cups of water to ta boil in  a small pot.  Once the mixture is boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes, until all the water has been absorbed.  Then remove from the heat and fluff with a fork.  Set aside to cool, and once it has cooled you can prepare this salad.

INGREDIENTS:

1 mango, peeled and cut into small diced pieces

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced as small as you can get it

1 cup chopped scallions

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tbs red wine vinegar

2 tbs grapeseed oil

1/4 tspn salt

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

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

a few leaves of lettuce for garnish

COMBINE the mango, red bell pepper, scallions, and cilantro in a mixing bowl.

Add the red wine vinegar, grapeseed oil, and salt and stir to combine.

Add the quiona and stir until everything is well incorporated.  Fold in the black beans.

You can serve immediately or let it sit for a bit for the flavors to meld.  To serve, place a few leaves of lettuce on a plate ans scoop some salad on top.  This tastes good chilled and is even better at room temperature.

I made this recipe once exactly has listed above (and the pictures shown reflect that first attempt).  It was good but didn't knock anyone's socks off that I shared it with.  I made it a second time today and this time used two small apples instead of mangoes, added a diced up zucchini, and used 2 15-oz cans of black beans instead of one.  Also, I might have gone a little heavy on the cilantro last time so this time I lightened up on it a bit.  I'm taking it to a pot-luck later today so we'll see if my modifications make it more of a crowd-pleaser.

*Recipe from Veganomicon: the ultimate vegan cookbook, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero, pgs. 84-85.

Vegan Lentil Salad Recipe

Lentil Salad*

Thyme, tarragon, and garlic flavor this easy-to-prepare and hearty lentil salad.  Serve over red leaf lettuce (or whatever kind of fancy-shmancy lettuce you can get your hands on) with oil and vinegar on the side.  Having some warmed pita bread on hand wouldn't hurt, either.  For a cute hors d'oeuvre idea, spool small scoops of salad into endive leaves.

Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable broth

2 or 3 sprigs thyme

2 bay leaves

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1/2 tspn dried tarragon

1/4 tspn salt

1 cup uncooked French lentils

1 small red onion, chopped very finely (about 1/3 cup)

1 small tomato, seeded and diced (about 1/2 cup)

2 radishes, grated (about 1/3 cup)

1 small carrot, grated

Several pieces of freshly ground black pepper

Dressing:

2-4 tbs olive oil

1 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs Dijon mustard

1 tbs fresh lemon juice (about 1/2 lemon)

1 clove garlic, minced

BRING the broth, thyme, bay leaves, garlic cloves, tarragon, and salt to a boil in a medium-size saucepan.

Add the lentils and bring again to a low boil.  Cover the pot with the lid tilted, allowing a little steam to escape.  Let cook for 20 to 25 minutes.  The lentils should be soft enough to eat but still firm enough to not lose their shape.

While the lentils cook, stir together all the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl.

Drain the lentils in a mesh colander (so that the lentils don't fall out the holes). 

Let cool, giving the colander a few shakes every couple of minutes so that they drain and cool faster. 

Once the lentils are lukewarm (about 15 minutes), remove the bay leaves, chunks of garlic, and thyme sprigs.



Add the lentils to the dressing along with onions, tomato, and radishes and toss to combine.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, cover, and chill for at least half an hour.
When chilled, serve over lettuce with oil and vinegar on the side.





*Recipe from Veganomicon: the ultimate vegan cookbook, by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero, pgs. 84-85.

Oven Roasted Leeks, Beets, Zucchini & Eggplant Recipe

INGREDIENTS

2 leeks3 beets
1 zucchini
2 small or 1 medium size eggplant
3-4 tbsp Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Wash the beets, trim and scrub the skin. Quarter or chunk them. Trim and clean the leeks by splitting in half and then washing out all of the sand. Cut the leeks into 1/2" pieces. Trim and clean the zucchini and eggplants and slice into 1/2" pieces, then quarter or chunk them.

On a cookie sheet with sides toss the beets, leeks, and garlic cloves with olive oil. Roast in a 375°F oven for 30 minutes, stirring the mixture once. Continue to roast a little longer until the beets are cooked through.

Everything will caramelize and it's wonderful!

This recipe is featured on at the 8 o'clock position on the dinner plate above!

Recipe of the Day: Vegan Split Pea Soup

Vegan Split Pea Soup

My soup simmering before adding the other vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups dried split peas
• 1/2 cup barley
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 7 1/2 cups water
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 3 stalks celery, chopped
• 3 potatoes, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a large pot over medium high heat, saute the oil, onion, bay leaf and garlic for 5 minutes, or until onions are translucent. Add the peas, barley, salt and water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the carrots, celery, potatoes, parsley, basil, thyme and ground black pepper. Simmer for another hour, or until the peas and vegetables are tender.

Amount Per Serving  Calories: 247 | Total Fat: 2.2g | Cholesterol: 0mg

This recipe was so good!  It can get a little thick, so add more water if you like your soup on the runny side.  I had read a review that mentioned adding the spices during step one to really infuse their flavor, but by doing that, I found the flavor to be a little too peppery for my taste.  This made for a delicious hardy autumn meal and I will definitely make it again!

My vegan split pea soup served for dinner with oven roasted brussels sprouts and oven roasted leeks, beets, zucchini, and two kinds of eggplant.

Vegetable of the Day: Brussel Sprouts

I woke up super early this morning (about 5:20am) even though it's Saturday. I think my internal clock has been permanently set to the time I get up for work on weekdays now. Oh well, just makes more time to get things done...and then take a nap later on lovely weekend days such as today :)

The stalk of brussel sprouts that I purchased this morning looked similar to this before I picked off all the individual sprouts.

What the whole plant looks like before it is harvested.

Since I was up so early, I decided to head over to the neighborhood farmer's market as soon as they opened, so I could get the best pick of the cheapest produce this time.  I was planning to only buy organic, but some of the the non-organic but still local people had some interesting items that the others didn't have, such as broccoli and today's vegetable of the day... brussel sprouts!

I've never bought fresh brussel sprouts before.  I've bought them frozen once or twice, but DH doesn't like them so we don't make them often.  As a kid, I hated them!  I think most people have bad childhood memories of a mushy, maybe buttery, awful tasting green pile of brussel sprouts on their plate that they were forced to finish before they were allowed to leave the table.  They used to make me gag!  I'm sure it didn't help that the stubborn streak in me made me wait at the table for I'm sure about an hour until they were cold and even more disgusting before I would finally give in and plug my nose while swallowing them as quickly as possible to get it over with so I could get down from the table.

The sprouts I picked on my porch this morning.

As they so often do for many people, my taste buds changed once I became an adult and I was open to trying this scary vegetable again.  To my surprise, they weren't so bad!  I did drench them in butter again... but I could still detect some of their natural flavor coming through and too my surprise I kind of liked it!


When I saw them fresh on the stalk this morning at the farmer's market, I'll admit that I had to ask what they even were.  When they told me "brussel sprouts," I got kind of excited and knew I had to try to find some new recipe and make them from this fresh stalk!

The farmer told me to take it home, pick off each individual sprout, and peel off the outer layer of leaves.  I found a video on you tube about how to prepare them and it suggested cutting off most of the base, and even cutting a little slit up the middle to let the tough stalk cook and get tender.

I plan to split my sprouts between two meals.  Tonight, I'm going to just do a simple oven roast with the following recipe that I found on the food network:

Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts

1 1/2 lbs Brussels sprouts

3 tbsp olive oil

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Mix sprouts in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan occasionally to brown sprouts evenly.  Sprinkle with more kosher salt (I might skip this), and serve immediately.

Later in the week, I plan to use the remaining brussel sprouts and pan-fry them with some pancetta that I also bought at the farmer's market from a local producer this morning.  The vendor makes all his own pancetta and smoked meats right here in Milwaukee, and he gets all his meat from hormone-free, pasture fed animals in Iowa.  This will be my first venture back onto the meat side of things in exactly two weeks.  I feel a little nervous about it as I'm still unsure where my ultimate ethics stand, but at least I do feel a little better knowing where my meat came from.

I'll use half the pancetta for this recipe (see below), and the rest I will serve raw with some cantaloupe that I bought at the farmer's market too.  The farmer told me he picked it yesterday and it should be at it's ultimate ripeness by tomorrow!

Brussel Sprouts with Pancetta

 

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Brussels sprouts, trimmed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 ounces paper-thin slices pancetta, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth (I'm going to try substituting vegetable broth here)

 

Directions

Partially cook the Brussels sprouts in a large pot of boiling salted water, about 4 minutes. Drain.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the pancetta and saute until beginning to crisp, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Add the Brussels sprouts to the same skillet and saute until heated through and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add the broth and simmer until the broth reduces just enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, about 3 minutes. Serve.