Greens and Quinoa Salad with Currants and Pecans

Greens and Quinoa Salad with Currants and Pecans

This salad can be made with just Quinoa but we liked mixing the greens with a few dollops of Quinoa mixed in.  We dressed the salad with Agave Mustard Vinaigrette but you can just use olive oil and lemon juice if you want to go basic.

1/2       cup cooked Quinoa  (more if not using greens)

            mixed greens

            sprouts

            Persian cucumber

            green onions, diced

            dried cranberries

            raisins

            pecans  (candy if like sweet)

            vegan Feta  (we used Violife Vegan feta) the texture is softer than dairy Feta

Agave Mustard Vinaigrette

makes 1/2 cup

INGREDIENTS

·       1 clove garlic, minced

·       1 tablespoon white-wine vinegar

·       1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, (coarse or smooth)

·       1/2 teaspoon agave

·       1/8 teaspoon salt

·       Freshly ground pepper, to taste

·       1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil, or canola oil

·       Whisk garlic, vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in oil.

Vegan Banana Bread

Since I never plan in advance to make Banana Bread, I’m always looking on the internet or through cookbooks for recipes that match the ingredients I have in my pantry.  This recipe is nice and simple, the only changes I made were adding more walnuts and a good handful of yellow raisins – a first for me.

Vegan Banana Bread

https://www.giverecipe.com/vegan-banana-bread/

Roasted Carrot Hummus

After a full day of eating too many carbs, I thought Carrot Hummus sounded like a light and fresh snack to have on hand.  It's a nice twist on regular hummus and can even be used as a sandwich spread.

Roasted Carrot Hummus

Giada De Launrentiis

6 servings

8            ounces carrots, peeled and cut into 1” pieces (I used about 4 small)

3            cloves garlic, peeled and left whole

2            tablespoons plus 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

            Kosher salt

1            15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2            tablespoons lemon juice

1/8            teaspoon cayenne pepper

            chips or crackers for dipping

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

On a small rimmed baking sheet, toss together the carrots, garlic, 2 Tablespoons olive oil and 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Cover with aluminum foil and roast until the carrots and garlic are both tender and soft, about 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature.

Place the carrots, garlic and chickpeas in a food processor.  Pulse to combine and break apart slightly.  Add the lemon juice, 1/2 cup olive oil, cayenne and 1/4 teaspoon salt.  Puree until smooth and an even pale orange.

Chips or crackers for dipping.

***Add a little water or more oil if you want it smoother.

Everything Spiced Nuts

Pecans, Walnuts, Cashews and Almonds were the stars of our mix.  The almonds and pecans were our favorites because they became nice and crunchy after baking.  Maybe make a batch of sweet nuts to go along side of the Everything Spiced Nuts, a little yin and yang.

Everything Spiced Nuts

Food network magazine – adapted

1            flax egg (1 Tablespoon ground flax mixed with 3 tablespoons warm water)

                           I’ve also read 1 T. to 2.5 T. water

4            cups mixed nuts

2            tablespoons Everything Seasoning (Trader Joe’s carries) or

                                    https://www.twopeasandtheirpod.com/everything-bagel-seasoning/

Make Flax Egg (or other egg replacer) and set aside to thicken

In a large bowl, add mixed nuts, Flax Egg Replacer and seasoning.  Toss to coat all nuts. 

Spread on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees, stirring once, until toasted, about 25 minutes.  Let cool.

Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash

For a fancier way to serve the Squash, try cutting it into slices, assemble on a pretty platter and drizzle with a little more Maple Syrup.  We couldn't wait to dig into ours so we enjoyed them right from the shell, no shame here.

Maple-Roasted Acorn Squash

Ina Garten – adapted

Serves 6

3          acorn squash, unpeeled, halved through the stem, and seeded

3          tablespoons unsalted vegan butter, diced (or salted - just adjust seasoning)

3          tablespoons pure maple syrup, plus extra for serving

            good olive oil

            kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

            flaked sea salt for serving

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees

Place the squash, cut sides up, on a sheet pan.  Place 1/2 tablespoon vegan butter and 1/2 tablespoon maple syrup in the cavity of each squash.  Brush the cut sides with olive oil and sprinkle the squash with 3 teaspoons kosher salt (I used way less) and 1 teaspoon pepper.  Roast for 40 – 60 minutes, depending on the size of the squash, until tender when pierced with a small knife.

Place the squash on a serving platter.  If the halves are too large for one serving, cut each piece in half through the stem.  Drizzle lightly with extra maple syrup, sprinkle with sea salt and serve hot.

Dill Pickle Soup

Someone posted a video of Dill Pickle Soup being made and even though I’ve never made it or heard of it before, it sounded interesting. I was hoping it would taste as good as it looked and it did not disappoint.  In fact, it exceeded my expectations.  Cooking note:  Before I added the diced pickles, I used an immersion blender to break-up some of the potatoes (I think I diced too big) but it is not necessary.  Pureeing some of the soup made it like a thick chowder – which I liked.

Dill Pickle Soup

Serves 8   (adapted recipe)

·  5 – 1/2 cups vegetable broth

·  1-3/4 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

·  2 cups chopped carrots, smaller dice

·  1 cup chopped dill pickles (smaller dice ~ about 3 large whole dills)

·  1/2 cup vegan butter

·  1/2 cup all-purpose flour

·  1 cup vegan sour cream

·  1/4 cup water

·  2 cups dill pickle juice*

·  1-1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

·  1/2 teaspoon table salt

·  1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

·  1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

·  Optional garnishes: sliced dill pickles, fresh dill and black pepper

Instructions

1.    In a large pot, combine broth, potatoes, carrots and vegan butter. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are tender. ***I pureed a bit of the soup at this point to make extra thick but was not in the original recipe***   Add pickles and continue to boil.

2.    In a medium bowl, stir together flour, vegan sour cream and water, making a paste. Vigorously whisk vegan sour cream mixture (2 Tablespoons at a time) into soup. (This will also break up some of your potatoes, which is okay. You might see some initial little balls of flour form, but between the whisking and boiling, all will disappear. Don't panic.)

3.    Add pickle juice, Old Bay, salt (*see below), pepper and cayenne. Cook 5 more minutes and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

4.    *All pickle juice is not created equal. Some is saltier than others. Taste your soup after adding the pickle juice and final seasonings. It's possible you will not need any salt or would prefer more or less.

Vegan Roasted Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Potstickers (Dumplings)

This is the first time I’ve made potstickers and I thought it would be much more difficult and time consuming but I found it to be quite therapeutic.  If you are pressed for time, just make the filling the day before and keep refrigerated.  I included a link to the original recipe but keep in mind I veganized mine by using vegan cream cheese and because I had some butternut squash hanging around, I added that to the diced sweet potato when roasting.  I also sautéed some onion and garlic until very soft and added it to the mashed mixture.  My mixture made approximately 23 potstickers.

As far as dipping sauces go, I made two that I found on-line.  One was vegan sour cream mixed with garlic chili sauce and the other was a soy/sugar/vinegar/garlic mixture.  Both good!

Vegan Roasted Sweet Potato Cream Cheese Potstickers (Dumplings)

https://www.yayforfood.com/recipes/sweet-potato-potstickers

Dipping recipes:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/chinese-potstickers-dipping-sauce-recipes-4081778

Kale Caesar Salad with Almond Vinaigrette

What a delicious salad and perfect for Fall.  The dressing is amazing and with the addition of ground almonds, it makes for an extra creamy finished product.  We like to mix our greens so we combined Curly and Russian kale, both purchased at the Farmer’s market.  The Russian kale is soft and tender, giving the salad a nice balance of texture.

Kale Caesar Salad with Almond Vinaigrette

Chef Antoni Porowski – adapted

Servies 4

2            6 oz. bunches kale, stemmed and thinly sliced

1            large heirloom tomato, cut into 1/4” wedges

1 and 1/4            cups sliced toasted almonds, divided

2            tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2            tablespoons Agave

1            tablespoon chopped shallot (from one small shallot)

1            teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

1            teaspoon Dijon mustard

1            teaspoon kosher salt

1/4         teaspoon black pepper

1            medium garlic clove

1/3         cup olive oil

Toss together sliced kale, tomato wedges and 1 cup of the almonds in a large bowl, set aside.

Place vinegar, Agave, shallot, thyme, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and remaining 1/4 cup almonds in a blender, blend until smooth, about 45 seconds to 1 minute.  Slowly drizzle in oil, blending until dressing is fully combined.

Add almond dressing to kale mixture, toss well to coat.

Butternut Squash Soup

Fall, glorious fall.  The Farmer’s Market had such beautiful Butternut Squash on display that I just had to make a double batch of this delicious, creamy and spicy squash soup. 

Butternut Squash Soup

Adapted recipe

3            cups butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced

1/2         cup onion, diced

1            cup Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and diced

1            tablespoon olive oil

4            cups vegetable stock

2            tablespoons Agave

1/4         cup vegan milk

1            pinch – or more – cayenne pepper

1            pinch – or more – nutmeg

1            pinch – or more – cinnamon

              salt and pepper, to taste

In a medium saucepan, sweat onions for 10 minutes with olive oil. 

Add squash, apples, spices and stock.

Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes.

Puree in food processor or blender.  Adjust seasoning to taste.  Stir in vegan milk, if desired.