Hummus

I don't think I need to point out how important hummus is to vegans. It's our cheese, our butter, our vegetable dip, our sandwich filling...I think some vegans bathe in it. There are some pretty good brands of hummus out there and there are a lot of them that don't even have a lot of gross preservatives in them. But there are several reasons to make your own: 1) Hummus can be pretty expensive and not only is it cheaper to make your own (especially if you cook your own chickpeas), but you get a huge amount of hummus from one batch. 2) You can put in any flavorings you want when you make your own hummus. 3) It's really satisfying to make hummus from scratch.

2 15 oz. cans or 3 cups cooked chick peas (Keep in mind Eden brand canned beans do not use BPA's in the linings of their cans)
Juice of 1-2 lemons (use more if you like it lemony, less if you don't)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. tahini
2-3 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. paprika
3/4 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. corriander
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Water to thin
Other optional ingredients that work well are:
-sun dried tomatoes
-kalamata olives
-roasted garlic
-fresh herbs
-sumac

1) Place all of the ingredients except for the water into a food processor (this is too thick for a blender) and process until it begins to smooth out.

2) With the motor running add water 1/4 c. at a time (at first) until the hummus reaches a consistency that you like. I usually end up using about 1/2 c.  Then add any optional ingredients and pulse to incorporate.

3) Transfer to a storage container or serving dish. This can be stored in the fridge for about 5 days.

This makes about 3 1/4 c. hummus.

Vegetable Barley Soup

Hulled barley is high in protein, iron, folate and fiber. This soup is so simple and I like to make it really peppery. It's quite similar to the Basic Vegetable Soup that I posted earlier but it tastes quite different. It cooks for a long time because of the barley but it's very easy to make. You can usually find hulled barley in the bulk section of any health food store. You could use vegetable stock to make this, but it's really unnecessary because you're essentially making your own stock as you boil this soup.

3/4 c. hulled barley, sorted, rinsed and drained (it would be better if you soaked the barley for a few hours first)
2 carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 large zucchini, cut into matchsticks
2 large ribs of celery, cut into matchsticks (see a theme here?)
1 leek, halved, rinsed and cut into matchsticks
1/4 head of green cabbage, thinly sliced
8-10 c. water or vegetable stock (I like this soup better made with water, it is more delicate and by boiling these vegetables in water for so long you are essentially making a vegetable stock)
Several sprigs of flat leaf parsley and fresh thyme
2-3 bay leaves
Sea salt & black pepper to taste

1) Place everything together in a large soup pot except for the salt and pepper and bring to a boil.

2) Reduce the heat and simmer, covered for 40 minutes.

3) Add salt and pepper to taste and boil for 20 minutes longer. Adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Spicy Buffalo Tempeh Pizza

I never liked buffalo wings - the bones and the skin and the fat grizzle turned me off even when I was a chicken eater. But I sure do love that spicy, tangy sauce. So why not turn it into a pizza that doesn't have any bones or skin? You could put carrots and celery on this since they usually serve Buffalo wings with sticks of those. Personally, I don't like carrots and celery on pizza so I do red onions and cilantro instead. This is for people who like spicy food.

I was all out of cilantro this time.

1 8 oz. package of tempeh, sliced widthwise into thin strips
Louisiana hot sauce or Tobasco
Vegan cheese (such as Daiya cheddar style)
1/2 a small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 c. cilantro leaves
1 pizza crust, home made or store bought

1) Heat a little oil in a saute pan and add the tempeh slices. Cook the first side until it starts to brown, about 5 minutes. Then flip and cook the second side for an additional 3-4 minutes until browned. Remove from the heat and let it cool for a bit. Once it has cooled add several dashes of hot sauce & toss gently to coat but avoid breaking up the tempeh.


2) Spread a thin layer of hot sauce on the crust you are using and then place the coated tempeh on top and spread it out evenly.

3) Add the cheese and then top with the onion slices and bake according to the package directions for the pizza you are using.

4) Once the pizza is finished baking sprinkle the cilantro on top (if desired) and serve.

Ungreasy Spoon Spanish Style Breakfast Hash

This is my husband's favorite breakfast. It's a little spicy and full of vegetables. Melissa's brand soy chorizo (soyrizo) uses non-gmo soy and is very affordable. Trader Joe's also makes a good one.

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package soy chorizo
2-3 c. diced potatoes, fresh or frozen
2 c. bell peppers (any color), diced
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. tomato paste
1/2 c. vegetable broth
1/2 c. cilantro, minced

1) Heat the oil in a large skillet, preferably cast iron. Add the soy chorizo and break it up with your spoon a little and then add the onion and saute until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, potatoes, and all of the spices. Toss to coat and continue to saute to cook the potatoes, about 5 more minutes, stirring frequently. 

2) Add the peppers and saute for an additional 5 minutes.

3) Add the tomato paste and vegetable broth. Stir the tomato paste to dissolve it and deglaze the pan. Let it cook for just a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce a bit.

4) Turn off the heat and add the cilantro and toss to incorporate.

This serves about 4 and is good garnished with avocado slices or guacamole.

Simple Baked Tofu

Baked tofu is a good thing to know how to make because it's super easy and you can use it for so many different things. You can add slices of baked tofu to sandwiches, wraps or salads. You can put it in nori rolls with rice, carrots and cucumbers. You can add it to stirfry or noodle dishes. Or you can do like my kids do and eat chunks of baked tofu like you think they're chicken nuggets. You can marinade the tofu in whatever you want in order to get different flavors, complicated or simple. So take this recipe and use the method to make whatever flavor of baked tofu you want. When you bake tofu it takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you use and it also gets a firm and smooth texture.

1 lb. firm or extra firm tofu, cut into 1 inch chunks (I usually do rectangular cubes)
About 1/4 c. shoyu or tamari

1) Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2) Rinse the tofu, pat it dry, and cut it into desired shapes - get crazy, go for triangles or diamonds if you want.

3) Pour the shoyu or tamari into a little bowl and proceed to dip each hunk of tofu into the shoyu making sure to coat each side. Place all of the coated tofu onto the baking sheet spaced evenly apart.

4) Bake the tofu for 25-30 minutes. That's all.

Savory Winter Squash Soup

I was never particularly fond of winter squash (other than their beauty) until I started using them in pureed soups, and now they're one of my favorite foods. There are so many varieties and you can do so many different things with them. This soup is rich and savory and kids love it because it's a pretty color and it has no chunks. I love it too. You can use any orange fleshed squash you desire in this recipe. I believe that I had either an orange hubbard or a kuri pumpkin (I'm not exactly sure because they kind of look alike and I got it out of a "variety squash" bin that didn't label each individual squash type).

4 - 4 1/2 lbs. orange fleshed winter squash, any kind
Extra virgin olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 large carrots, sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
Sea salt
6-8 c. vegetable broth (the less you add the thicker the soup will be)
1 1/2 Tbsp. cashew or almond butter
1 Tbsp. tahini (or more cashew or almond butter)
1/4 c. shoyu or tamari
Toasted pumpkin seeds to garnish (optional)

1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and line a baking dish with parchment paper. Wash the squash, cut off the stem, and then attempt to slice it in half and scrape out the seeds with a large spoon. If your cut is off center (like mine was), slice the larger half into halves.

2) Rub the squash with a little olive oil and then place them cut sides down in the prepared baking dish and bake for about 1 hour, until easily pierced with a knife.

3) In a large soup pot heat a little olive oil over medium heat and then add the diced onions, carrots and celery and a sprinkling of sea salt. Saute about 10-12 minutes until softened.

4) Meanwhile, when the squash is cool enough to handle scrape the flesh out with a spoon into a large bowl and set aside.

5) When the vegetables are soft add the broth and squash flesh and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

6) Place the cashew butter and tahini into a small bowl and ladle some of the hot soup liquid over them and dissolve them with a spoon. Then add the dissolved cashew butter & tahini and the shoyu to the pot and continue to simmer the soup for 10 more minutes and then remove it from the heat.


7) Once the soup has cooled a bit puree it with an immersion blender or in a blender. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds, if desired.

This recipe makes about 8 servings.

Caramelized Onion and Thyme Smashed Potatoes

This is not a low fat vegan dish. But if you're not eating a bunch of meat and dairy, who cares if you have some extra olive oil on your potatoes once in a while? These are a must for me at Thanksgiving and Christmas...and last night.

Sorry for the bad photo, I was too hungry to try to get a better shot.

4 lbs. potatoes (Yukon gold work best for this)
2 tsp. sea salt, divided
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. Earth Balance Buttery Spread (or more olive oil)
2 huge yellow onions, sliced thinly and caramelized
5-6 large cloves of garlic, crushed in a garlic press or made into a paste with your knife
3-4 Tbsp. fresh thyme, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp. black pepper
Plain soy or nut milk (about 1/2 to 3/4 c.)

1) Chop the potatoes into 1" chunks and place them in a large pot. Cover them with water & bring to a boil. Once they are boiling add 1 tsp. sea salt. Let them boil for about 12 minutes, until easily pierced with a fork.

2) As you wait for the potatoes to come up to a boil, heat the olive oil (and Earth Balance, if using) in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onions and the other 1 tsp. of sea salt and toss the onions to coat with the oil.

3) As the potatoes cook let the onions saute without messing with them until they start to brown, this should take 10-12 minutes. Once they begin to brown give them a toss and leave them alone for another 5 minutes or so. Once they start to become evenly browned make sure to stir frequently to avoid burning, maybe even turn the heat down a little bit if they start going too fast. Once the onions are fully caramelized add the crushed garlic & stir to incorporate with the onions & let it cook for one or two more minutes.

4) When the potatoes are done cooking, drain the water and add the onion, oil, garlic mixture to the pot along with the chopped thyme and black pepper. Add about 1/2 c. of soy or nut milk and begin to smash the potatoes with a potato masher. If they seem dry add a little bit more soy milk until they reach a nice, creamy (but not wet) consistency. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if necessary.

This makes a big old pot of potatoes, probably enough for 6-8 people if there's a lot of other food being served.