Warm Winter Salad

Last weekend my friend Lauren and I had lunch at Le Pain Quotidien. If there's one near you I highly recommend it - their food is unbelievable, the ambiance is adorable, and they have plenty of vegan options, all of which are clearly marked on their menu. Win. One of their seasonal specials this winter is the Warm Winter Grain Bowl, which you can see on their menu, here (I subbed avocado for goat cheese). I loved it so much I re-created it for dinner that night, and included some vegan chicken (the menu suggests adding real bird). Despite having many components it's quite easy to whip together and it is SO GOOD. What an awesome and satisfying mix of textures and flavors. We shall be making this again soon.

Warm Winter Salad (serves 4)

1/2 cup quinoa
1/2 cup black rice
2 small-medium sweet potatoes
2 cups broccoli florets
3 leaves kale
1 cup packed arugula
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries*
1 package Beyond Meat grilled chicken strips (optional)
1 Tbls. Bragg's liquid aminos/soy sauce/tamari
1 Tbls. canola oil + more for cooking
1 avocado
Juice of 1 lemon
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Garlic powder

*The original at LPQ has pomegranate seeds. For me, they are hard to find and expensive but if you've got them, go for it

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash the potatoes and poke holes with a fork to vent. Microwave for 4-6 minutes, until they are soft enough to cut.

While the potatoes are microwaving:

1. Start cooking the quinoa and rice according the package directions. 
2. Toss the pumpkin seeds with the liquid aminos and 1 Tbls. canola oil. Spread on a small baking pan and roast in the oven, or toast if you have a countertop toaster oven. Watch them carefully throughout the rest of the cooking and take them out when they smell nice and toasty. Set aside.

Cut the potatoes into 1 inch chunks and toss in a large baking pan with canola oil. Bake for a few minutes while you chop the broccoli. Add the broccoli to the pan and put back in the oven.

Wash and stem the kale. Tear the leaves into large pieces and add to the pan with the potatoes and broccoli. Season liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and put back in the oven.

While the veggies are on the last leg of cooking, it's time to get the finishing touches ready. If you are using the "chicken," start cooking it according to package directions. While it is cooking, make sure you have your arugula, cranberries, avocado, lemon juice, and olive oil ready.

Check on the veggies. Once the kale is cooked down, you are ready to eat! Assemble the bowls as follows:

1. Scoop a mound of the grains into each bowl
2. Top with veggies
3. 1/4 cup of arugula on top next
4. Then the chicken, if using
5. Top with diced avocado
6. Sprinkle 2 Tbls. each of the pumpkin seeds and cranberries
7. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper

Amazingness.

Greek Pasta

Aaron and I got a grill over the summer and since our friend Greg grills pizza all the time, I wanted to give it a try. Side note: Since I was busy tending to our new roommate, Aaron was super thrilled that I was directing him at what to do with the pizza stone on our windy balcony in the night of an approaching Chicago winter. I used a Greek pizza recipe from the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, which Aaron and I got as a wedding gift but I never looked at until now. Second side note: They have a ton of vegan-friendly cookbooks on their website.

It was amazing. And since I didn't quite roll the dough thin enough and had a ton of extra toppings leftover, I decided to make pasta out of it. It's super easy and tasty and as long as you have the feta cheese prepared ahead of time, takes only about 20 minutes to put together.

Greek Pasta (serves 4)

1 recipe feta cheese, made ahead of time
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes, drained
1 14 oz can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 5 oz bag baby spinach
4 servings whatever pasta you want
2 Tbls. olive oil
1 lemon, quartered and seeded
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
Pink Himalayan salt (or sea salt) and fresh cracked pepper

Start cooking the pasta according to package directions. Prepare the tomatoes and artichoke hearts.

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Cook the tofu cheese for a few minutes to heat through.

Add in the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, spinach, and artichoke hearts.

Last, drain the pasta and add in with salt and pepper to taste. Serve top with fresh lemon juice.

Butternut Squash and Sage Pasta

Not that this blog has any kind of robust readership whatsoever (sorry, Mom), but I'm back! Family life has gone through some wonderfully crazy changes the past month but since Aaron and our new little one are now snoozing on the couch while watching football, I wanted to take the time to blog about my lunch I'm currently eating. The inspiration for this recipe came eight years ago...I know, that's a long time to think about cooking something. I was traveling internationally and staying with a co-worker whose husband made the most amazing butternut squash sauce over pasta. The thought of this dish's tastiness has clearly not left me because I finally made it the other day. My friend Amy (of Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookie fame) was over and also loved this sauce. She suggested using it as a ravioli filling so...if anyone knows how to make vegan ravioli from scratch, holler!

Butternut Squash and Sage Pasta (serves 6-8)

1 medium butternut squash*
1 sweet onion, coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled smashed
20-30 leaves fresh sage (I used 30 and it is delightfully sage-y)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbls. vegan butter, cut into small chunks
Salt and pepper
6-8 servings of whatever pasta you want
Vegetable broth (optional)

*If you're using the pre-cut kind, I honestly have no idea how many cups I used. Take a look at the picture and use your best visual estimation skills :)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Using a fork, poke some holes in the squash and microwave it for 4-6 minutes to soften. While it is microwaving, prepare the onion and garlic and place in a large baking dish.

Using a vegetable peeler or a knife, peel the squash. Cut in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds (do something with them if you're fancy), and cut the flesh into large chunks. Add to the onion and garlic along with the sage.

Drizzle the olive oil and sprinkle liberally with salt pepper. Mix it all together with your hands and add in the butter chunks on top.

Cover with tin foil and bake for 45 minutes.

When there are 10-15 minutes left of baking, start boiling the pasta water. Cook the pasta according to package directions, under-cooking by 1-2 minutes.

Add all the veggies and juices to a blender and blend away. The sauce will be pretty thick so if you want it thinner, add veggie broth to your liking. I didn't add any for this one and loved the way it turned out, but do as you please.

Add the sauce to a large pot and add in the pasta, cooking it all together for a few minutes.

EAT! If you don't want to cook all the pasta at once you can save some of the sauce for later enjoyment.

Mac and Cheese Bake, #2

Aaron had his first day of work/school today and since I don't go back until next week, I decided to make dinner for us (which I haven't done in a while...I've been lazy). I was in the mood for mac and cheese and despite having a bunch of other recipes already on the blog, I decided to create a new one. This one is amazing. I think it tastes the most like cheese and has the best texture of any other ones I've made. Plus it was actually pretty easy to do, with very little measuring of a million random ingredients. I didn't add extra veggies to this one, though the sauce is vegetable-based, but if you want to, cut the pasta serving down to 4 and add in 1-2 cups of whatever veggies you want.

Mac and Cheese Bake, #2 (serves 6)

6 servings macaroni noodles, cooked according to package directions
1 cup cauliflower florets (I used orange cauliflower for the color)
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 cup veggie broth
1/2 yellow sweet onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 Tbls. olive oil
1 medium yellow potato
3 Tbls. vegan butter, divided
2 Tbls. coconut milk
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup cashews, soaked in water for a few hours
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 cup umeboshi paste*
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
Large dashes each of basil, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper

*Umeboshi paste is a Japanese condiment made from salted, pickled plums. It is quite assertive but works amazing in this recipe to replicate the tanginess and saltiness of cheddar cheese. I started with 1 tsp. of it and added it gradually, checking the taste, and was surprised by how much I actually needed to get the taste right. I get it at Whole Foods in the aisle with other ethnic foods, or you could try a market that specializes in Asian or Japanese foods. If you can't find it, the saltiness and tanginess is what you'll need to replace, so try vinegar, citric acid, salt, and/or miso paste. Or if you're planning a few days in advance, order it from Amazon as it doesn't need to be refrigerated until opened.

Heat the oil in large pan. Saute the onion and garlic over low heat until translucent and just starting to brown. This will take about 15 minutes, so start this first and prepare the rest of the dish while they're cooking.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Start boiling the water for the pasta and cook according to package directions. When finished, drain and set aside.

Microwave the potato for 3 minutes and cut into large chunks.

While the potato is in the microwave, chop the cauliflower and peel and chop the carrot into large chunks. Add to a bowl with the veggie broth and microwave for 3 minutes. Set aside.

While the cauliflower and carrots are microwaving, heat 2 Tbls. of the butter and coconut oil in a small pot until boiling. Lower the heat and stir in the flour so it makes a paste, stirring until it just starts to color.

Okay, blending time now. Drain and rinse the cashews. Add to the blender with the onions, garlic, cauliflower, carrots, vegetable broth that you cooked them in, potato, flour paste, nutritional yeast, and umeboshi paste.

Combine in a large bowl with the macaroni.

You could just eat this now...

Combine the breadcrumbs and seasonings. With the remaining tablespoon of butter, grease the sides of a large baking dish. Spread in the pasta and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture. Dab small blobs of the remaining butter on top.

Bake for 1 hour. Then broil for 1-2 minutes to brown the top, watching it so it doesn't burn.

Slice and serve.

Simple Mills Pizza

This post is sponsored by Simple Mills, a gluten-free, allergy-friendly baking mix company. To purchase the pizza dough featured in this recipe, click here to buy online or here to find in a store near you.

My friend Amy (who inspired the Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies) recently started working for Simple Mills, a Chicago-based company that makes a variety of baking mixes suitable for people with food sensitivities. Everything is gluten-free, dairy-free, and soy-free, and their products can also be made with egg substitutes. Amy gave me their Almond Flour Pizza Dough Mix to try and it did not disappoint. I checked the serving size on the box after dinner and it turns out I ate four servings so...I guess I liked it? Plus it was super easy to make. A far cry from the disastrous gluten-free pizza dough I've tried to make before!

Simple Mills Pizza (makes 12 servings, but realistically will serve 4 people)

1 box Simple Mills Almond Flour Pizza Dough Mix
*2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
*2 Tbls. grapeseed or vegetable oil
*6 Tbls. water
1/3 cup pesto
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes
4 artichoke hearts
1/4 cup goat cheese spread, without apricots

*These ingredients are used in making the pizza dough

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Whisk together the vinegar, oil, and water, then stir in the pizza dough mix.

Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper or a pizza stone. Coat your hands lightly with oil and press the dough flat. The box recommends two round pizza doughs but I just made one nebulous blob and it turned out fine. The dough will not rise so press it as thin/thick as you want; mine was about 1/4" thick.

Bake the dough for 5 minutes. While it is baking, slice the artichoke hearts and julienne the tomatoes. Spread on the pesto and then sprinkle on the artichoke hearts and sun dried tomatoes.

Bake for 10-15 minutes (I did 15). As soon as the pizza comes out of the oven, drop marble-sized pieces of "goat cheese" onto the pizza. If you are planning on having leftovers, sprinkle the cheese only on the part you are planning to eat, as I did below.

Slice and serve!

Yuummmaaaayyy! Thanks, Amy and Simple Mills!

Lentil Lunch Salad

The other day I wasn't in the mood to make something elaborate for lunch but luckily we had a bunch of random ingredients in the fridge just begging to be put into a salad. So that's what I made and it was so. good. I've made it a few times since, and in fact I'm eating it right now as I blog about it. Part of the reason this salad is so good is that I used pink Himalayan salt. We recently invested in it and if you don't mind spending a little but more than you usually do on salt, your taste buds will be mighty pleased. The salad ingredients can easily be increased to make a larger salad for more people.

Lentil Lunch Salad (serves 1)

2 handfuls baby kale leaves, coarsely chopped
5 cherry or grape tomatoes, chopped
1/4 cup cooked lentils, chilled
1/4 avocado, diced
1 Tbls. chopped parsley
1 Tbls. hemp seeds
Juice of 1/4 lemon
Drizzle of olive oil
Pink Himalayan salt, to taste (or use sea salt)

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and eat!

Cauliflower Quiche

A few weeks ago my mom sent me some vegetarian recipes she had torn out of a magazine. I was intrigued by "Yotam Ottolenghi's Cauliflower Cake," a savory quiche made by the famous Israeli chef. Egg texture tends to be a bit difficult to replicate with plant-based ingredients (not to mention the original recipe also called for a ton of parmesan cheese!) but I attempted this one and was so pleased with the result. It's savory and unctuous and has a great mix of textures. I will definitely be making this again!

Cauliflower Quiche (serves 4)

4 cups small cauliflower florets (about 1 small head of cauliflower)
1 red onion
5 Tbls. olive oil
1/2 tsp. finely chopped rosemary
1 package silken tofu
3 Tbls. nutritional yeast
3 Tbls. hummus (I used my own recipe)
2 1/4 tsp. sea salt, divided
1/2 Tbls. lemon juice
2 1/2 tsp. vinegar
1/2 cup basil leaves, chopped
1 cup flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. ground turmeric
1 Tbls. white sesame seeds
1 tsp. nigella seeds*
Black pepper, to taste
Vegan butter for lining pan
Chopped parsley for serving (optional)

*I had to google what these were. Apparently they have an onion/garlic taste. I didn't have them so I substituted celery seeds, which were great.

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Toss the cauliflower florets with 1 tsp. salt in a microwave-safe bowl and add a bit of water. Microwave for 4 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until the cauliflower is tender. Drain and set aside.

Cut the onion in half on it's side so that it looks like tree rings.

From the larger side of one of the halves, cut a 1/4" thick slice.

Set the slice aside and peel and chop the rest of the onion.

Heat the oil in a pan large enough to hold the onion. Saute the onion with the rosemary until soft, about 10 minutes.

While the onion is cooking, blend together the tofu, nutritional yeast, hummus, 1/4 tsp. salt, vinegar, and lemon juice. This will be the egg and cheese substitute.

Transfer the egg mixture to a large bowl and whisk in the onion and basil.

Whisk in the remaining teaspoon of salt, flour, baking powder, turmeric, and black pepper to taste. Gently stir in the cauliflower.

Rub the sides of a round baking pan with butter and pour in the mixture. Take the onion slice you set aside and separate into rings, arranging on the top. Sprinkle the sesame and nigella (or celery) seeds around the edges.

Bake for 45 minutes or until the top is set. The original recipe calls for it to be served just warm (not hot) or at room temperature but I loved it hot.

Cut into 4 slices, top with parsley if desired, and serve.

For the record, this is the picture of Chef Ottolenghi's original creation:

Pumpkin Apple Risotto

Although this was my first time making risotto, lots of things led to its inspiration. One, Aaron made this* risotto months ago and I still find myself thinking about it from time to time, it was so good. Two, we got cider from Sketchbook Brewing** a couple weeks ago and I wanted to cook with it. And three, it's cold and gray out and I wanted something homey. I referenced the Thug Kitchen* recipe for how to cook vegan risotto since I had no idea how to replicate the creaminess and I'd say their cooking method is pretty good. This recipe takes some time and TLC but is totally worth it.

*Warning if you have children reading: This blog is hilarious and awesome but completely not child-appropriate.

**If you live in the Chicago area we highly recommend checking out Sketchbook. The staff is super nice, the brews are super tasty, and they have free beer samples. And you get the warm fuzzy feelings from supporting a local business (in addition to the warm fuzzy feelings you get from their product).

Pumpkin Apple Risotto (serves 4)

2 Tbls. vegan butter 

1/2 yellow onion

2-3 cloves garlic

1/2 cup hard cider*

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth, divided (I used this recipe)

2/3 cup pumpkin puree

1/3 cup applesauce (one of the little single-serving containers)

1 cup arborio rice

1/4 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 1/2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar

Salt and pepper

*If you don't cook with alcohol you can try regular cider, though it may be too sweet. Or just use an extra 1/2 cup of vegetable broth.

Heat the butter in a large pan over medium heat. While it is heating, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Saute in butter for 10-15 minutes until everything is soft and starting to get brown around the edges.

While the onion and garlic are cooking, combine the pumpkin puree, applesauce, and 1 cup of the veggie broth. Set aside.

When the onion and garlic are ready, add in the rice. Cook for a few more minutes, stirring frequently, until the rice smells toasty.

Add in the cider and cook, stirring constantly, until it is all absorbed. This only takes a couple minutes so watch carefully!

Add in half of your pumpkin/apple/broth mixture and stir frequently until the liquid is all absorbed (about 10 minutes).

Repeat with the other half of the mixture, then with 1 cup of remaining broth.

Finally, add in your last 1/2 cup of broth, the nutritional yeast, spice, and vinegar. Stir until the liquid is all absorbed and the risotto is thick and creamy, tasting for salt and pepper and adjusting as needed. My broth wasn't very salty and thus I needed to add a lot, but if your veggie broth was salty to begin with you may not need to add any salt.

Ahh, finally, the reward for all your hard work :). I think this would be even more delightful topped with parsley or other fresh herbs.

Roasted Squash, Fennel, and Apple Soup

Ah, the holiday season is here. If you're thinking that this soup sounds like it would be great for Thanksgiving, you're correct - it was a huge hit at our non-turkey dinner last night. But it is so tasty that I would be apt to make it any time. Sweet, savory, and hearty, this soup takes a little bit of time but is easy to make. Enjoy it on a cold winter day...or any time you're in the mood for some really awesome soup.

Roasted Squash, Fennel, and Apple Soup (serves 8)

1 medium butternut squash
2 apples (I used fuji, use what you want)
2 fennel bulbs
1 yellow onion
6 cloves garlic
2 Tbls. vegan butter
2 sprigs each rosemary and thyme
~3 cups veggie broth (I used this recipe)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Parsley and chives, for garnish

Heat the oven to 375 F. Prepare the squash for peeling and chopping by slicing off each end, poking holes all over with a fork, and microwaving for 4 minutes.

While the squash is cooling prepare the rest of the veggies. Peel the apples and coarsely chop them along with the fennel and onion. Peel and smash the garlic.

Using a vegetable peeler or knife, peel the squash. Slice in half and scoop out the seeds (you don't need them for this recipe, but clean and roast them for a tasty snack if you want.) Chop into 1 inch cubes. Add to the veggie mix (I had to transfer everything to a large bowl for the next step.)

Melt the butter in the microwave and pour over the veggies. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper and mix using your hands.

Transfer to a large roasting pan and nestle in the rosemary and thyme.

Cover with foil and roast for an hour.

Remove the herbs and transfer to a blender (you may need to do this in multiple batches). Blend, adding veggie broth until the consistency is to your liking. I used 3 cups total but add more or less depending on how thick/thin you like your soup. Taste for salt and pepper, adjusting as needed.

Top with chopped parsley and chives for serving.