Summer Squash and Basil Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil
6 yellow squash or zucchini or a combination
1 large onion
6 cups of vegetable broth
1/2 cup basil
1 1/2 tablespoons flour
Salt and pepper
Lemon, juiced

Directions

Cut the squash or zucchini into medium sized cubes. Cut the onion into 1/4 inch slices. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large stockpot. Add the zucchini and onion and saute until the onions are translucent and the zucchini is tender. 

Add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover, cooking for 20 minutes. Add the basil and cook for another 5 minutes. Remove a cup of the stock and whisk the flour into the stock until it is free of lumps. Add the mixture back to the soup and stir until combined.

Remove from heat and use a hand held blender to puree until smooth. Add the salt and pepper to taste and lemon juice.

Roasted Tomato Soup

Ingredients:

15 medium ripe tomatoes
3 medium onions
12 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons sea salt
1 tablespoon pepper
1/2 cup olive oil
up to 8 cups of vegetable broth
4 cups fresh basil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Core and cut tomatoes in quarters. Slice the onions into 1/4 inch rings. Chop the garlic cloves. Place all veggies in a baking dish and pour olive oil on top. Sprinkle salt and pepper on veggies and then mix the veggies up so that they are coated. Bake in the oven for 40 minutes.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the roasted veggies to a large stock pot. Pour the liquid that remains in the bottom of the baking dish into a measuring cup. Add enough vegetable broth to create 8 cups of liquid. Add the broth and remaining ingredients to the stock pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 40 minutes. Blend with the immersion blender until it is the texture that you desire.

Notes:

This is the perfect soup to make when you have an abundance of ripe tomatoes. You will not believe how good it is!

Butternut Squash Soup

Ingredients:

1 medium butternut squash (about 2 1/4 pounds)
Olive oil spray
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Spray the inside and arrange the halves cut side down in a roasting pan. Bake the squash at 375 degrees for 40-45 minute until tender (use a fork to test). Set aside to cool. When it is completely cooked, scoop the flesh from the skin.

While the squash is baking, cook the onion and ginger in the oil on low heat in a soup stock pan for 5 minutes or until the onion is softened. Add the vegetable broth and water and simmer the mixture for 10 minutes covered.

Add the squash pulp to the saucepan. Using a handheld blender, blend the soup while in the pan until it reaches a smooth consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pasta e Fagioli

Ingredients:

16 ounce bag of dry beans
4 tablespoons of olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 garlic cloves--chopped finely
1 large white onion--chopped
4 stalks celery--chopped
6 cups vegetable broth
2 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
8 ounces of small shells or other small pasta
1 bunch of fresh Italian parsley
Olive oil for garnishment
Vegan parmesan cheese, if desired

Directions:

Cover beans with water and soak for 6-8 hours or overnight.

Place the olive oil in a stock pot and saute garlic, onion and celery until translucent. Add red pepper flakes and stir.

Add vegetable broth, water and beans to the sauteed vegetables. Place the bay leaf, thyme and rosemary in a large tea ball or cheese cloth tied with string. Drop this into the stock pot. Bring to boil and then reduce heat and simmer. Stir occasionally and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours until beans are cooked through.

In a separate pan, cook the pasta according to package directions.

To serve, place 1/2 cup pasta in a bowl and then spoon a few ladles of the soup from the stock pot on top. Add a dollop of olive oil into the middle of the soup and then garnish with parsley. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese, if desired.

Vegan Onion Soup

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons olive oil (I love California Olive Ranch brand)
2 medium onions, sliced thinly
1 tablespoon flour
1/2 cup cooking sherry or white wine
4 cups vegetable broth
French bread, cut in one inch diagonal
Daiya cheese (if desired)

Directions:

In saucepan, brown onions in olive oil and sprinkle with flour. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The onions will stick to the pan but be patient. After 20 minutes at low heat, pour in wine or sherry. Add vegetable broth and cook for 5 minutes. Preheat broiler in oven. Place French bread in oven on baking sheet to toast. If cheese is desired, place toasted french bread on surface of the soup, sprinkle with cheese and place under broiler for 15 seconds, 6 inches below hot broiler.

Buffalo Hot Sauce Cauliflower Bites

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower
1/2 cup chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1/3 cup of Earth Balance Margarine
2/3 cup of Frank's Red Hot Sauce (or other cayenne pepper sauce)
1 teaspoon corn starch

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Cut the head of cauliflower into bite sized florettes.

Place some garbanzo bean flour in a plastic bag and working in batches, place the wet cauliflower in the bag and shake to coat.

Melt the Earth Balance in the microwave and then mix with Frank's Red Hot Sauce. Add 1 teaspoon corn starch and whisk.

Dip the cauliflower in the hot sauce mixture and then arrange on a cookie sheet that is lined with parchment paper.

Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the cauliflower starts to brown.

Date and Nut Balls

Ingredients:

4 cups roasted and salted peanuts
2 tablespoons water
1 1/2 cups medjool dates - seeds removed

Directions:

Place 1 cup of the peanuts in a food processor and process until they are finely chopped

Add the dates and water and process until smooth

Place half of the remaining peanuts on a plate; take the date/nut dough from the food processor and work the peanuts into the dough.

Place the other half of the remaining peanuts on another plate. Form the dough into small balls (use a heaping teaspoon as a measurement) and then roll in the remaining peanuts, pressing them into the dough.

Place the date/nut balls into mini cupcake cups on a cookie sheet and place in the freezer until firm

Remove from the freezer about 30 minutes before serving

Notes:

Use medjool dates for best results as they are very sticky.

Hummus

Ingredients:

2 cans of garbonzo beans, drained and rinsed or 1 cup dried garbanzo beans, cooked or sprouted
1/3 cup olive oil (or for no oil option, use aquafina—the water that is in the can of beans)
4 tablespoons tahini
2 lemons, juiced
1 head garlic, peeled and minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:

Pulse the beans in a food processor. Add the olive oil and pulse until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and pulse to desired consistency. You can add more oil for a smoother consistency.

Variation:

Artichoke/lemon: add 1/2 cups of artichoke hearts and 2 tablespoons lemon to the ingredients above

Roasted red pepper: add 1/2 cups of roasted red peppers to the ingredients above

I LOVE to sprout! When you eat a sprouted food, you are putting a living food into your body and they are loaded with nutrition and protein. Most people only know about alfalfa sprouts but you can sprout so many other things--broccoli, any kind of bean, chives, radishes, clover....the list goes on. You can grow it right on your counter top at home in mason jars. I can't think of any home grown food that is more economical and nutritious.

How to sprout garbanzo beans:

Take one cup of dried garbanzo beans and put them in a quart mason jar. Place cheesecloth over the mouth of the jar and tighten the metal ring (this is the simplest way--with supplies that you most likely have at home. I buy plastic rings with metal mesh screens because I am a serious sprouter). Pour water to cover the beans and then drain the water. Do this a few times--we are rinsing the beans. Then pour water to cover the beans plus another inch or two. Allow the beans to soak in the water for 12 hours. After 12 hours, drain the water, rinse beans two times and set the jar upside down in your dish drainer for the next 12 hours. Continue this for the next 2 days. The beans will start to sprout tails and are now ready for use.

Spirulina Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (unfiltered is best)
3/4 cup olive oil (California Olive Ranch - YUM!)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon spirulina

Directions:

Mix together or shake in a jar and enjoy

Vegan Ranch Salad Dressing

Ingredients:

1 cup of vegan mayonnaise
1/2 cup unsweetened soy milk
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. onion powder
2 tsp. dill (dry or fresh)
2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar

Directions:

Whisk all ingredients together and refrigerate.

Notes:

I never could find the perfect vegan ranch dressing. Dill is what makes this so authentic.

Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

3 pounds of plum tomatoes (about a dozen)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (of course, I love California Olive Ranch)
1/4 cup diced red onion
2 cloves garlic crushed
fresh basil, chopped

Directions:

Blanch the tomatoes:

Boil a large pot of water. Score the tomatoes with an X on the end of the tomato (not the end with the core). Drop the tomatoes in the boiling water for 60 seconds. Remove and place in ice water. The skin should peel off nicely. Discard the skin.

Make the sauce:

Slice the tomatoes in quarters. Warm the oil in a pan and stir in the onion and garlic over low-medium heat until the onion is softened but not brown, about 10 minutes. Pour in the tomatoes and then add one teaspoon salt. Coat the tomatoes in the oil. Raise the heat to medium and bring the tomatoes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low-medium and cook for 30 minutes stirring occasionally. Cook until the tomatoes break down and the sauce thickens. If you like a smoother sauce, use an immersion blender to blend the sauce smooth. Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the basil.

Notes:

I was very surprised at how orange the sauce is when it is done. Rest assured it is amazingly tasty. I could eat it with a spoon!

Country Potato Salad

My recipe for Country Potato Salad was a winner in the Choose Wild Recipe Contest through Take Extinction Off Your Plate, a project of the Center for Biological Diversity.

Ingredients:

1 medium size head of cauliflower
8 medium sized red potatoes
1 large crisp green apple
8 radishes
1 medium diced red onion
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (love California Olive Ranch brand)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (love unfiltered with the "mother")
1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

Directions:

Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil. Place the red potatoes in the boiling water and cook until a fork goes in easily but the potatoes are not mushy. Drain the water and set the potatoes aside to cool.

Place a steamer basket in a large pot and fill with an inch of water. Break cauliflower into small florets and place in the steamer basket. Cover with a lid and place on medium heat. Steam the florets being careful not to overcook then set aside to cool.

Core apples and cut into bite sized pieces and add to a bowl. Trim radishes and quarter in wedges and add to bowl. Dice onion and add to bowl. Add cooked cauliflower to bowl. Peel skin from potatoes, dice into bite sized pieces and add to bowl.

Sprinkle salt over salad and toss. Mix the oil and vinegar and then drizzle over the salad and toss to mix in. Add chopped parsley and gently mix.

Notes:

This recipe was selected as co-winner of the Choose Wild Recipe Contest through Take Extinction Off Your Plate a project of the Center for Biological Diversity.

"Sour Cream" and Onion Mashed Potatoes

Ingredients:

4 large russet potatoes
1 tsp salt
1 medium yellow onion
1/4 cup cold pressed extra virgin olive oil (I prefer California Olive Ranch)
6 ounces non-dairy sour cream (Tofutti or another brand)

Directions:

Wash and cut potatoes into cubes (I leave the skin on for extra nutrients). Boil the potatoes in salted water until a fork easily pierces through. While the potatoes are boiling, chop the onion and fry in the olive oil at low-medium heat until translucent.

Drain the potatoes, add the onions/oil and sour cream. Use a hand mixer to beat until smooth.

Notes:

This is the veganized version of the recipe my mother made. I made this version for her on Thanksgiving and she could not tell the difference!

Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 head of cauliflower, whole, with stem trimmed and leaves removed
2 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup salt
3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper
1 bay leaf
Coarse salt for serving

Directions:

Bring wine, oil, salt, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, bay leaf and 8 cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Carefully lower cauliflower into pot, reduce heat to medium and simmer, turning occasionally for 20 minutes. Transfer cauliflower to a roasting pan. Roast, turning throughout until brown all over for 30 to 40 minutes.

Transfer cauliflower to a plate and sprinkle with coarse salt.

Sandwich of Life

Ingredients:

2 slices of Ezekiel 4:9 Sesame Bread
4 tablespoons of hummus (see my sprouted hummus recipe)
12 basil leaves
1/2 cup sprouts (I use a combination of alfalfa, broccoli and chive)
1/2 tomato sliced
1/4 avocado sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Toast the bread. Spread hummus on both pieces of toast. On one piece of toast, spread basil leaves over hummus, and then place tomato and avocado on top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. On the other piece of toast, place the sprouts.

You can eat this open faced or make it into a sandwich.

Notes:

If you have not yet tried Ezekiel Bread, you must try it! It is in the freezer section of Whole Foods. The bread is made of sprouted grains and contains no flour. The texture is absolutely amazing and it is a complete protein.

My husband and I eat this regularly for breakfast--it is the perfect way to start the day!

Rice Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1 14 ounce package of rice stick noodles (vermicelli--found in the ethnic food aisle)
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cooking sherry or white wine
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1/2 tablespoon chopped dry red chili pepper
4 tablespoons peanut oil
1/2 yellow onion, sliced
1 yellow or orange bell pepper, cored and sliced
1 pound bok choy chopped into bite size pieces
1/2 cup snow peas
2 cups sunburst yellow tomatoes or cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
2-4 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions:

Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with warm water. Allow to soak while you are chopping the vegetables. After 20 to 30 minutes, drain and then set aside.

Mix the vegetable broth, soy sauce and sherry or wine.

Line everything up in the order that you will need it. Peanut oil, garlic, ginger, chili pepper, onion, bell pepper, bok choy, snow peas, tomatoes, noodles, cilantro, sesame oil.

Add peanut oil to wok or pan, heat the oil and ensure that it is covering all sides. Add garlic, ginger and chili pepper. Stir fry for a few seconds. Add onion and bell pepper and fry for a few minutes until the onion starts to become soft. Add bok choy and stir fry for a minute until the leaves are wilted. Add the broth mixture, snow peas and tomatoes. Reduce heat to medium, cover and simmer for 2 minutes. Add the noodles and toss to mix the vegetables in with the noodles. Add the cilantro and toss, stir frying for another minute. Drizzle the sesame oil over the top and toss.

Notes:

Have fun with this! Use whatever vegetables that you have on hand--substitute broccoli for bok choy, sliced tomatoes for cherry tomatoes. Kids love this dish too!

Moist Banana Nut Bread

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
pinch of salt
2/3 cup applesauce
1/2 stick vegan margarine, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ripe bananas

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Sift flour, baking soda and salt together.

In another bowl, stir sugar, applesauce, vanilla and margarine until thoroughly combined. Add flour/baking soda/salt mixture and stir until smooth.

Mash bananas with a fork and stir into the batter. If desired, add 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts.

Spray two loaf pans with oil and pour in batter. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes

An alternative is to pour the batter in standard size muffin tins. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. If you use the mini muffin tins, bake for 25 minutes.

The banana bread is cooked when the tip of a knife comes out clean and dry.

Can be frosted with peanut butter frosting for a banana peanut butter cupcake.

Ambrosia

Ingredients:

4 ounces vegan cream cheese
1/2 cup canned crushed pineapple, strained
1/4 cup vegan sour cream
1 cup canned sliced peaches, strained
1/2 cup canned fruit cocktail, strained
1/4 cup canned mandarin oranges, strained
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
maraschino cherries

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, whip the cream cheese, pineapple and sour cream until smooth. Mix in remaining ingredients.

Chickpea Picatta

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup sliced onions
6 cloves of garlic
2 tablespoons panko
2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup dry white wine or cooking sherry
black pepper
pinch of dried thyme
1 16 ounce can chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup capers with brine
3 tablespoons lemon juice
4 cups arugula
mashed potatoes or cauliflower

Directions:

In a large frying pan, sauté onions and garlic in oil over medium for 5 minutes. Add panko and stir constantly until browned, about 2 minutes.

Add vegetable broth and wine, pepper and thyme. Turn up heat boil, stirring constantly until the sauce reduces by 1/2.

Add the chickpeas and capers and heat through. Add the lemon and turn off heat.

Spoon mashed potatoes and cauliflower into a bowl. Top with a generous serving of arugula and ladle the picatta over it.