Kale, Tomato, and Cannellini Casserole

Happy new year! Hope everyone's 2016 is off to a good start.

So I'm in a neighborhood garage sale group on Facebook and someone posted the cookbook Vegan Casseroles for sale. I decided $5 was worth it for a cookbook full of comfort food recipes. They all look amazing and am excited to cook more of them when someone decides to start sleeping more than 45 minutes at a time and my meals don't consist of whatever I can scramble together and scarf down at the speed of light. Anyways, there was a similar casserole in the book and it inspired me to make this one. Super easy to throw together!

Kale, Tomato, and Cannellini Casserole (serves 4-6 as a side dish)

1 1/2 cups diced tomatoes
2 packed cups chopped kale leaves (about 3 large leaves)
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
Seasonings to your liking: Sea salt, black pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, onion powder, and garlic powder
Large splash of red wine vinegar
Large splash of canola oil
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
2 Tbls. parmesan sprinkles
2 Tbls. vegan butter

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Combine the veggies, beans, seasonings, vinegar, and oil in a large bowl.

In a smaller bowl combine the breadcrumbs, cheese, and additional seasonings to your liking.

Spread the veggie mixture into a pan and top with the breadcrumbs. Cut the butter into small bits and sprinkle on top.

Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and broil so the top gets crispy.

Scoop into a bowl and eat!

Bean Salad

Aaron's mom makes an incredibly tasty bean salad. Well I think it's tasty, Aaron doesn't like it because he doesn't like beans. Weirdo. His parents are always so conscientious about cooking vegan for me and the first time I visited his mom had every meal planned and prepped, this salad being one of them. I loved it so much that she's made it for me ever since...poor Aaron. Hopefully he's at least happy about the fact that his mom and I like each other ;). The past week at work I brought this salad over spinach accompanied by a hearty muffin and was quite happy with it. I tweaked her recipe a tiny bit but thanks, Barbara, for providing the original!

Bean Salad (serves 8-10)

3 cans any beans you want (I used garbanzo, kidney, and great northern)
2 cups shredded carrots
4-5 green onions, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (optional)
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. olive oil
1/4 cup + 2 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbls. sugar
Salt & pepper to taste

In a large bowl whisk together the oil, vinegar, and sugar to make the dressing.

Drain and rinse the beans.  Toss together with the carrots, onions, and corn (if using) in the dressing. Season to taste.

French Fries for 1 or More

I haven't been posting a lot lately because I've been too busy making french fries. Just kidding about the not-posting part, totally serious about the copious amounts of french fries. Do you know how hard it is to find vegan french fries in restaurants? Potatoes are vegan. Oil is vegan. Salt is vegan. But when you fry those spuds in the same fryer as your calamari and chicken fingers? Not cool. I've always loved french fries but just haven't had them regularly for this reason. So when I happened upon a bag of potatoes a few weeks ago (I made "real" Mr. Potato Heads with my kids at work - one of the many benefits of working with children - and we had a ton of potatoes leftover) I took to it and made my own fries. I've been perfecting this recipe, not that it's that hard. But these are great because you can make them for just you, or for however many people you want. They are so easy to make, no deep fryer required.

French Fries (serves however many people you want)

1 small-medium russet potato per person you are serving

Coconut oil

Sea salt

Any other seasonings you want

Ketchup or other dip for serving (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash the potato and peel, if desired (I don't). Microwave for 1-2 minutes just to make it easier to cut. Don't over-nuke it though, otherwise it will just mush under the knife. Cut into french fry shapes, as thin or thick as you want. I used a mandolin the first time and they turned out way too thin, but if yours cuts the way you want then that may be easier. 

Place on silpat or parchment paper on a baking tray. Drizzle liberally with coconut oil and sprinkle generously with salt and any other seasonings you want. Toss it all around and arrange the fries so they aren't touching each other.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until they are slightly golden and crispy, turning once halfway through. The coconut oil will be all foamy and bubbly as they cook, don't worry, this is fine!

Drain on a paper towel and serve immediately with your favorite dip.

Spicy Cauliflower with Peanut Dip

Thug Kitchen posted a recipe similar to this a while back (I think it was a recipe from their new book that they showed as a preview), and I made it and was generally pleased. It was a little too spicy for my liking and the sauce could have been a bit better, so when making dinner the other day I decided to reinvent the wheel and try a similar recipe on my own. We will definitely be making this again! It's a great side dish or appetizer and is super easy to make.

Spicy Cauliflower with Peanut Dip (serves 2-4 as an appetizer or side dish)

2 cups cauliflower, chopped into florets (about 1/2 head)
1 Tbls. peanut oil
1-2 Tbls. siracha
Smoked paprika
Sea salt
3 Tbls. peanut butter
2 Tbls. water
1 Tbls. apple cider vinegar
1 Tbls. brown sugar
1 tsp. liquid smoke
2 tsp. Bragg's liquid aminos (or tamari, or soy sauce)
Generous shake of garlic powder
Generous shake of onion powder

Preheat the oven to 400 F. While it is heating, chop the cauliflower into florets and place in a large roasting pan.

Toss the cauliflower with the peanut oil, siracha, and a generous amount each of smoked paprika and sea salt. 

Roast for 15-20 minutes, stirring once. While the cauliflower is roasting, make the sauce by whisking together the remaining ingredients.

Cauliflower is done now!

Serve the cauliflower hot or at room temperature with the peanut dipping sauce.

Aaron's Cornbread

I've mentioned in more than a few posts that Aaron makes the most delicious cornbread. He hasn't wanted to blog about it so I'm taking over that duty. This was one of the first, if not the first, vegan recipes he created for me when we started dating. He tweaked it over several months before he was finally satisfied with it. He makes it all the time! His original recipe has wheat flour in it, but I'm blogging about the gluten-free version I made today to take to our Super Bowl party tomorrow (the host is gluten-free). But I've also included the note for the original version if you'd prefer to use wheat flour. As a side note, I quadrupled the recipe when I took the pictures so it looks like a lot more than the ingredients describe!

Aaron's Cornbread (serves 9-12)

1/2 cup non-dairy milk (soy works best)
Large splash apple cider vinegar
1 Tbls. ground flax seed
3 Tbls. water
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 Tbls. tapioca starch*
2 Tbls. rice flour*
3 Tbls. oat flour*
1 Tbls. chick pea flour*
1 tsp. arrowroot powder*
1 tsp. baking soda
Dash of salt
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
Dash of vanilla extract

*If you're making this with gluten, sub 1/2 cup wheat flour for all of these ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350 F. If you want these to be muffins, line and grease 9 muffin tin wells. If you want these to be squares, grease a 8"x8" or 9"x9" square pan.

In a small bowl combine the milk and vinegar. Set aside. It will curdle and become like buttermilk.

In another small bowl combine the flax seed and water. Set aside.

In a medium bowl combine the cornmeal, all of the flours, baking soda, and salt.

In a large bowl melt the butter. Cream with the sugar, applesauce, and vanilla. Then stir in the flax mixture.

Stir in the dry ingredients along with the buttermilk.

Pour evenly into muffin wells or into square pan. (I used two large pans here because I quadrupled the recipe!)

Bake for 10-15 minutes if making muffins or 20-23 minutes if making it in a pan. If you've multiplied the recipe and are using a 9"x13" pan as I do here, bake it for 30 minutes.

Cool, cut into bars, and serve. Excellent with chili.

Chickpea Mash

My dear friend Mandy baked us not one but two loaves of challah this weekend. I could eat bread all day long but unfortunately I have to go to work...so I have been bringing it in my lunch this week so I can eat bread while at work. The past week has been a bit rough but luckily I have had Mandy and her challah to help get me through. But one needs something besides challah and I didn't want to spend a lot of time on that other something, so behold this chickpea mash. This is a lot easier if you have a food processor but if not just chop up your veggies real small and mash the chick peas with the back of a fork. Serve as a side salad or as a main course, scooped up with tasty bread.

Chickpea Mash (makes 3-4 cups)

2 cans chick peas, rinsed and drained
2 leaves kale
1 rib celery
1 tsp. onion powder
1 Tbls. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbls. Bragg's liquid aminos (or soy sauce, or tamari)
1 Tbls. rice vinegar

In the food processor, pulse the kale about 20 times until it is roughly chopped.

Roughly chop the celery and add to the food processor, running it for just a few seconds until everything is nice and tiny.

Add the rest of the ingredients and pulse until the chickpeas are mashed - stop before they're blended. Then it's ready to serve!

Chickpea mash with its friend challah, ready to go to work to fulfill its lunch destiny.

Mole Style Black Beans

Cafe El Tapatio in Chicago has the best mole sauce I have ever had. They're pretty vegan-friendly and if you ask very nicely they will make you enchiladas with refried beans and rice, topped with mole sauce with a side of guac and salsa. Yummmmm. Authentic moles are more complicated than this and take much longer to make, hence why this is a mole style. It's perfect for a side dish as most of the work is just sitting and waiting for it to cook. So get the beans started, make whatever else you're having for dinner, and eat happy. I bet it would also be good with kidney beans, if you're more partial to those.

Mole Style Black Beans (serves 4)

2 Tbls. canola oil
1/2 cup diced sweet onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 6oz. can tomato paste*
1/2 cup veggie broth
1/4 tsp. liquid smoke
1 oz. dark chocolate
1 Tbls. brown sugar
1 tsp. oregano
1 tsp. chile powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. sea salt, divided*

*I used tomato paste with no salt added. If yours has salt in it, taste the dish for salt level before adding additional salt.

In a medium pot heat the oil over low-medium heat and saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

Stir in the rest of the ingredients except for 1/2 tsp. of the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, cooking for 24 minutes.

Stir in the remaining 1/2 tsp. of salt just before serving.

Party Salad

My dear friends, Mandy and Carrie, grew up in a house that backs up to where our town hosts the fireworks every fourth of July. Their family is kind enough to open their doors every year for the best Independence Day party you can imagine: Lots of people, lots of food, lots of games, and lots of fun. And to top it all off, a prime viewing location for the fireworks, and you don't have to wait half an hour for a portapotty when you have to pee (and now you've figured out the real reason I want to watch the fireworks with you guys...). I made this salad to bring tonight and am trying to resist eating it all before we go over.

Party Salad (serves 10-12)

1 recipe lime cilantro vinagrette
2 1/2 cups (12 oz) frozen shelled edamame
3 cups (16 oz) frozen corn kernels
2 pints cherry or grape tomatoes, quartered
3/4 of a red onion, diced

Make the dressing and let it sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Microwave the edamame and corn according to package directions and let cool. Mix together the edamame, corn, tomatoes, and onion, then stir in the dressing. Chill before serving.

Spinach, Tofu, and Potato Bites

Buzzfeed recently had a post on vegetarian passover food. With the holiday soon approaching us and my parents hosting our seder I feel extra pressure to come up with something good that is vegan. But hey, this recipe is something I would eat regardless of the time of year because it is so tasty. The folks over at May I Have That Recipe? call them Spinach Potato Nest Bites, which is a much cuter name than I could ever come up with. The recipe suggests to serve them as appetizers or eat a few and call it a meal, the latter of which I did for breakfast this morning. I modified it to make it vegan friendly and was very pleased!

Spinach, Tofu, and Potato Bites (makes 12)

1 package extra firm tofu
2 medium russet potatoes
1 1/2 tsp. onion powder
3/4 tsp. sea salt, divided
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
4 tsp. canola oil, divided
4 cups (1 bag) fresh spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls. nutritional yeast

Start pressing the tofu and preheat your oven to 400 F. While the tofu is pressing, wash and peel the potatoes and grate finely. I did this using a food processor which made the task much easier, but be prepared for some arm work if you don't have one. Squeeze as much extra water as you can out of the grated potatoes and transfer to a medium bowl. Mix in the onion powder, 1/2 tsp. of sea salt, the black pepper, and 2 tsp. canola oil using your hands until well-mixed.

Spray a muffin tin. Using about 1 Tbls. of the potato mixture per well, shape the potato around the bottom and sides of each well to form a "nest." Bake for 15 minutes.

Post-baking. They could be a bit darker.

While the potato is baking, chop the spinach as finely as you can (again, the food processor is handy) and transfer to a medium bowl. Crumble in the tofu and mix in the remaining ingredients using your hands. When the potato cups are done, distribute the spinach mixture evenly amongst all the cups and bake for 12 minutes.

Pre-baking

Let cool on a wire rack. Use a plastic knife to run around each potato cup to loosen it before removing. Remove carefully using a spatula.

Balsamic Glazed Green Beans and Asparagus

Aaron and I were going to make this dish to bring to our friends' Superbowl party, but alas the poor guy has had the flu for the past week so we stayed at home :(. We don't have cable and can't get reception from our building but luckily I figured out how to stream the game through the Roku so we could watch it on TV. Not that I care about football...but Aaron was happy. I had something that made me just as happy though - this dish!

Balsamic Glazed Green Beans and Asparagus (serves 4-6)

1 bag green beans
1 bunch asparagus
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbls. chopped parsley
2 Tbls. slivered almonds
Olive oil
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Start making the balsamic glaze, as I do in this recipe. Next, you will blanche and shock the vegetables. This helps keep them a beautiful green and also preserve their texture.

To do this, get a large pot of water boiling and snap off the ends of the beans and asparagus. Carefully drop them in the boiling water and boil for 1-2 minutes, until they are a vibrant green. While they are boiling, prepare an ice bath (lots of ice + cold water in a large bowl). Transfer the greens to the ice bath and let cool for a minute or two.

Next, transfer the greens to a large baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil and season lightly with salt and pepper. Mix with your hands and bake for 10-12 minutes.

While the veggies are cooking, lightly toast the almonds and chop the parsley. The glaze should be done by the time the veggies are (if it's done first just turn off the stove and let it rest). To serve, drizzle the glaze over the veggies and top with parsley and almonds.

Lemon Ginger Ragout

I'm not gonna gripe about the Chicago weather right now. Everyone's freaking out but it's been colder than this, guys. Chill out. That being said, this is the perfect dish for a cold winter day (or night) - savory, easy to make, and versatile based on whatever you've got in the fridge. Serve it as a side dish or as a main course with a hearty piece of cornbread (which Aaron makes all the time but has yet to blog about...)

Lemon Ginger Ragout (serves 4-6 as a side dish)

1/4 red onion
2 garlic gloves
4 leaves rainbow chard
2 roma tomatoes
1 can cannelloni, navy, or great northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 lemon
1 Tbls. grated ginger
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Chop the onion and smash and dice the garlic. Separate the stems from the leaves of the chard and slice the stems. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Saute the garlic and onion for a few minutes, then add the chard stems and saute for a few more minutes.

While the garlic, onion, and chard stems are cooking, dice the tomatoes and chiffonade the chard leaves. Add the tomatoes, cook for a few more minutes.

Add the chard leaves and beans and continue to cook until the leaves just start to wilt, then grate in the ginger and the zest from half of the lemon. Cook for a few more minutes, seasoning to taste.

Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the ragout before serving.

Cheesy Potatoes

Carbs and cheese - the ultimate comfort food combination. The snow was swirling about yesterday (and is currently icing up the sidewalks...come on, Chicago, get your salt act together!) and to procrastinate studying for finals I made these potatoes. Mmh mmh!

Cheesy Potatoes (serves 4)

1/2 cup cashews, soaked for at least 6 hours
1/4 cup + 1 Tbls. water, divided
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2 Tbls. nutritional yeast
1 Tbls. white vinegar
1/2 tsp. yellow mustard
1 Tbls. brown miso
1 Tbls. vegan butter, melted
3 medium yellow potatoes
Parmesan sprinkles (optional)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Roughly chop the cashews and soak them in the fridge for at least 6 hours. When you're ready to make the potatoes, preheat your oven to 375 F. Drain and rinse the cashews and blend with 1/4 cup water so they're nice and creamy.

Blend in the rest of the ingredients except the butter and potatoes in with the cashew cream to make the cheese sauce. Wash and dry the potatoes. Halve lengthwise and cut into half-moon slices, about 1/8" thick. Melt the butter and mix into the potatoes in a 8x8 pan (I found this easiest to do with my hands).

Pour the cheese sauce over the potatoes and mix to combine (again, hands worked better than a spoon here). Bake for 1 hour, or until the potatoes are fork-tender, stirring every 20 minutes. Top with parmesan sprinkles, salt, and pepper as desired.

Smoky Quinoa with Miso Brussels Sprouts

Those sprouts...it seems people love 'em or hate 'em. To the chagrin of my frequent dining companions I belong very strongly to the former category, but I believe very much that any dislike of brussels sprouts comes from having eaten them boiled instead of roasted. If I'm really not selling you on the tastiness of sprouts, feel free to substitute another veggie or veggies, and adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Smoky Quinoa with Miso Brussels Sprouts (serves 4)

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1 can cannellini beans
1 lb. Brussels sprouts
2 medium shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 Tbls. brown miso
2 Tbls. sesame oil
1 small bunch pea shoots, chopped
Olive oil
Smoked paprika
Salt
Pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Rinse and drain the quinoa. In a large pot combined the quinoa and water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover, and cook for 30 minutes.

While the quinoa is cooking rinse the brussels sprouts and chop off the ends. Cut in half lengthwise and place into a large roasting pan, along with any stray leaves that fell off in the chopping process. Chop the shallots into small chunks, mince the garlic, and add both to the pan. In a small bowl mix together the miso and sesame oil and massage into the sprouts mixture with your hands. Roast for 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.

When the quinoa is done, drain and rinse the beans and add. Drizzle with olive oil and season with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper to taste. Fluff with a fork.

Scoop quinoa into a bowl and make an indentation in the middle. Top with brussels sprouts and garnish with pea shoots.

Wannabe Latkes

Latkes, or potato pancakes, are a classic Hanukkah food. They are typically made with egg as a binder, though I've found recipes online that call for Ener-G Egg Replacer and I've also made them using applesauce as the binder. I first made these at my parents' house last week when I was trying to make something creative, and they ended up (to my surprise) tasting exactly like latkes, despite the lack of potato. They're easy to make and very flavorful.

Wannabe Latkes (makes 10)

1 cup canned chick peas, rinsed and drained
1/4 red onion, coarsely chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 tsp sea salt
A few good grinds of pepper
2 slices bread (I like Food For Life's Ezekial 4:9 bread)
1/4 cup warm water, divided
1 1/2 tsp Ener-G Egg Replacer
Canola oil

Toast the bread on a medium setting, like this. Then, tear it into pieces small enough to fit in your food processor.

In a small bowl combine the egg replacer with 2 Tbls of the water to make the "egg." Combine all of the ingredients (except for the oil) in a food processor and blend until it is as smooth as you can get it. It will still be fairly coarse and you may have to scrape the bowl a few times.

Heat a generous amount of canola oil in a large frying pan. Form the mixture into patties slightly smaller than your palm and fry a few minutes on each side, until golden brown.

Latkes are traditionally served with either applesauce or sour cream, but top these however you like. 

Andrea's Quinoa Salad

Aaron and I went to Michigan with some friends this weekend and had an absolutely wonderful and relaxing time. One of the things that made the trip so fun was the abundance of tasty food, most of it courtesy of our friend Andrea. She told me that even though it was one of their favorite salads she wasn't sure where the recipe came from, so for now, the credit is going to Andrea :)

Andrea's Quinoa Salad (serves 6 as a side)

1 cup quinoa
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced
1/2 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 red onion, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, torn
Large handful dried cranberries
Large handful slivered almonds
Olive oil and vinegar, to taste

Cook the quinoa according the package directions. Chill in the freezer while you prepare the rest of the ingredients. Combine all of the ingredients, dressing to taste. 

Andrea, this is making me hungry...

Roasted Root Vegetables

I absolutely love root vegetables. They are so hearty and tasty and go well with pretty much anything. If you find that your knife and/or arm muscles are just not up to par, microwave them for a few minutes to make them easier to chop. And if you prefer these as a mash, just add some cream and butter and blend them all together.

Roasted Root Vegetables (serves 4-6)

1 medium rutabaga
1 large parsnip
1 medium sweet potato
1/4 red onion, coarsely chopped
Canola oil
Seasons, as desired (I just use salt and pepper)

Preheat the oven to 425 F. Wash the vegetables with baking soda and chop into bite-sized pieces. Or, slice lengthwise (as thick as they can be to still fit in the chute of the food processor) and use the thick slice setting on the food processor.

Put the vegetables (except for the onion) in a large roasting pan. Drizzle liberally with oil and season as desired and mix it all together with your hands. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are fork-tender. In the last 10-15 minutes of cooking add in the onion.