K's Tomato Soup

• 1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 teaspoons of sugar
• 1/3 cup raw cashews
• 1 clove of garlic
• 2 tbs nutritional yeast

Combine all ingredients in a blender, and blend for a couple of minutes, until it is really smooth and creamy. Transfer to a saucepan and heat.

Non-dairy butter

Adapted from a recipe in Homemade Vegan Pantry by Miyoko Schinner

• 1 1/2 cups refined coconut oil (this needs to be refined oil, the odorless kind) 
• 1/2 cup olive oil (I like olive better in this than a more neutral oil)
• 1 tablespoon liquid lecithin (This is not optional. If you use granules, triple the amount.)
• 1/4 teaspoon lactic acid powder (optional, but this adds a note that really sells it as butter)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup plain non dairy milk 

Combine ingredients in a food processor until you have a creamy emulsion. Pour into 4 ounce jelly jars and freeze the unused portion. Keep the active jar refrigerated or it will seperate.

Hot peanut sauce

This sauce is GLORIOUS over steamed fresh veggies (we do broccoli, carrots, red cabbage, sometimes cauliflower), served with seared tofu and brown rice. I sometimes do this with a big handful of raw spinach as the foundation of the bowl. 

• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 cup water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 3 tablespoons tamari
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tsps ginger purée
• 1 (or more) tablespoons sriracha

Combine in a blender, and then heat in a saucepan, stirring frequently, until very hot.
We fry the tofu in slabs in a little oil, and then cut it into bite sized chunks. We then pour the sauce over rice, steamed veggies and baby spinach.

Dinner Shaped Dinner

I promised this recipe to a random stranger at Costco over a month ago. I'm finally posting it. We call this dinner-shaped dinner - baked potato, veggies, protein.

Step one in the process is the sour cream. You can use a commercial variety if you prefer,

1 cup raw unsalted cashews
3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon lactic acid powder
Pinch salt

Combine these ingredients in a blender and process until smooth and creamy. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.

Scrub and puncture four 8 ounce russet potatoes. Place them in the oven, and turn it to 400 degrees. Set timer for 20 minutes.

For the roasted brussels sprouts:
2 pounds brussels sprouts, trimmed and cut in half (if the size is not uniform, you may leave the smallest ones whole while quartering the largest)
1 large onion, diced
2 apples, diced (granny smith are my favorites for this, but any apple is fine)
1/2 tsp salt
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
either 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, or a large handful of peeled whole garlic cloves
black pepper
Toss these together and spread onto a baking sheet (silpat or parchment makes for easier clean up)
When the first timer goes off, add these to the oven and set the timer for 20 minutes again.

For the barbecue glazed tempeh:
2 8 ounce packages tempeh
About 1/2 cup of your favorite barbecue sauce - homemade or store bought. We like the Kinder's brand when we are using store bought.

Slice the tempeh package down the center lengthwise, and remove the wrapping. Slice each half across to split it into two thin slabs. Cover a baking sheet with parchment or a sil pat, and brush barbecue sauce over the top of each slab.
When the timer goes off, add this pan to the oven, set a timer for 15 minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the sheet from the oven, flip the tempeh, and coat the other side in sauce. Bake another 15 minutes.

That is enough time for all the components to be fully cooked. Split the potatoes, top with sour cream and butter, and green onions or chives. Dish a generous portion of sprouts, and a couple of slabs of tempeh. Serves 4.

Vegan Fondue

Fondue is a family favorite recipe, and one I have tried, with varying degrees of success, to veganize over the years. Tonight, I found something that I am finally happy with.

• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashew pieces
• 3 cups water
• 1 cup water
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 tablespoon light Miso
• 1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
• 1 1/2 cups sweet white wine (I used moscato)
• juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons tapioca flour
• dash of nutmeg (about 1/16th tsp)
• white pepper

Start by placing the cashews and about 3 cups of water in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil, and boil for 15 minutes. Drain the cashew pieces. Place them into a blender, and add the reserved cup of water, and all of the remaining ingredients. Blend until creamy and smooth, how long is going to depend on your blender - it takes about 3 minutes in my mid-grade Oster. Return to the saucepan and cook on medium low heat, stirring frequently, until it starts to bubble and is thickened.

Serve with chunks of bread to dip, steamed broccoli, chunks of crisp, sweet apple (fujis are good), a salad, and the rest of the bottle of wine! 

Soup soup soup!

Spilt Pea

Mirepoix - You want equal amounts carrot, onion, celery, totaling  6-8 cups, I usually use:

• 1 BIG onion
• 2-3 carrots
• 3-4 ribs of celery 

Saute this in 1 TBS olive oil until onions are soft and translucent. Then add:

• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 4-5 cloves of garlic

Stir constantly for a few minutes, until you can really smell the garlic. Then add:

• 9 cups of water
• 3 cups spilt peas

Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook, covered, for about 45 minutes. (It won't hurt this to cook for a couple of hours, just stir it once in a while). Fish out the bay leaves, puree, ideally with an immersion blender and add:

• 2 tsps salt
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• And a generous amount of fresh ground black pepper

"Orange Soup"

• 5 big carrots, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 2 big sweet potatoes cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 yellow onion, diced or sliced doesn't matter, you puree it all in the end
• 1 cup orange juice
• 5 cloves garlic
• 1 Tbs grated fresh ginger
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
• 1 can light coconut milk
• 1 cup red lentils
• Water or stock to cover simmering veggies
• Olive oil for sauteeing onions
• Salt and pepper to taste.

Saute onion in olive oil until translucent and tender. Add ginger, garlic, red pepper, stir until fragrant. Add veggies, lentils, juice, coconut milk, and enough water to cover it all. cover, simmer about 30 minutes, until the carrots and sweet potatoes are soft. Puree the whole mess with an immersion blender, if you have one (if you don't, get one)! Add salt (probably about 1 1/2 tsps, add it a little at a time to check) and pepper to taste.

Pear Coffee Cake

½ cup maple syrup
⅓ cup oil
4 tbs flax seed
¾ cup hot water
1 tsp vanilla

3 ripe pears, diced

2 cups whole wheat flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cardamom
⅛ tsp white pepper

Combine each set of ingredients, then mix together. Spread into 8x8 pan, bake at 350 for 45-55 minutes.