Spinach and Potato Curry

Recipe from:

http://www.coffeeandcrumpets.com/spinach-and-potato-curry-palak-aloo/

INGREDIENTS:

1lb/16oz/455g fresh spinach, washed, stemmed and roughly chopped ( I used 12 oz baby spinach because that's all I could find)
2 large potatoes, medium dice
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 green chili (I used a serrano chili)
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ginger, minced
1 teaspoon turmeric, ground
1 teaspoon cumin, ground
1 teaspoon coriander, ground
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 tablespoons dried fenugreek leaves (optional- I did not use)
1 1/2 to 2 cups/470ml water, enough to cover potatoes to cook
1 teaspoon salt
¼ cup/60ml oil, coconut, avocado or other neutral flavoured (I used olive oil)

INSTRUCTIONS:

In a large pot, heat the oil on medium heat and brown the onions.
Once the onions are lightly browned, add the garlic and ginger paste and cook for a minute until fragrant.
Add the potatoes and toss in the oil and onions.
Add the turmeric powder, ground cumin, ground coriander, chili powder and cayenne powder.
Mix through into the potatoes.
Allow the potatoes to sauté for about 5 minutes.
Add enough water to cover the potatoes, cover and let potatoes cook, about 10-15 minutes.
Once the potatoes are just tender, making sure there isn't too much water, add the spinach leaves and cover to allow spinach to wilt.
The spinach leaves will release some water so you don't want too much water in the pan before adding the spinach, about a cup and half of water is acceptable.
Once the spinach has cooked down and beginning to get tender, uncover and evaporate some, of the water.
Add the green chili and the fenugreek leaves, if using.
Check for salt and adjust.
If you like the curry drier, then add the spinach leaves when there is barely any water left after the potatoes are done.
Serve as a side with rice or bread.

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Recipe adapted from:

http://www.emilybites.com/2013/08/spinach-artichoke-dip.html


INGREDIENTS:
16 oz (2 bricks) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup sour cream
1/4 cup plus 1/8 cup mayonnaise
1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, separated
3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, separated
3 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, squeezed and patted dry
14 oz can artichoke hearts (packed in water or brine, not oil), drained and chopped
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper


DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine the cream cheese, sour cream and mayonnaise and stir until well combined. Stir in 1 cup of the Mozzarella, 2 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the minced garlic, spinach, artichokes, pepper and red pepper flakes or cayenne and mix until well combined.
Transfer the mixture to an 8x8 (or 2 qt) casserole dish and spread evenly. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup Mozzarella and tablespoon of Parmesan over the top. Bake for about 30 minutes until the edges are golden and the dip is heated through and bubbly. Serve warm with sliced french bread and/or tortilla chips.

Vegetarian Chicken, Broccoli and Garlic Sauce

recipe adapted from: http://vegweb.com/recipes/spicy-broccoli-and-garlic-sauce

Ingredients:
1 package frozen Quorn Chik'n Tenders

1 cup vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic, minced or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar or 1 1/2 tablespoons regular sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons red chili flakes
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1-2 scallions, diced
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 head broccoli, chopped
1/4 cup water

Directions:

1. For sauce, combine veggie broth, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, red pepper flakes, scallions, sugar, and add the cornstarch last in medium bowl.
2. Mix until the cornstarch dissolves and there are no lumps left. I find heating the broth helps to dissolve it. In a medium frying pan, add the canola oil and put on high heat.
3. Prepare another frying pan, in which you should thaw and cook the Quorn tenders until they begin to brown.
4. Add the broccoli to the first pan, and stir occasionally for about 3-5 minutes, until most of the broccoli brightens and browns a little. Next, add 1/4 cup water and lower the temperature to medium.
5. Cover and let the broccoli steam for about 2-4 minutes. You want it crisp, so don't over cook the broccoli. Once the broccoli is cooked, add the sauce and the cooked Quorn tenders.
6. Place the cover back on, and feel free to turn the heat up a little. wait for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens. When it is thick enough, it's ready to serve.

Serve with rice or quinoa.

Potato and Turnip Gratin

Recipe is from: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/potato-and-turnip-gratin

Ingredients:
1 pound russet potatoes
1 pound turnip(s)

2 cups whipping cream
1 cup half and half
2 shallots, sliced thinly
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp thyme (dried is fine but fresh is better)
1 1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Peel and slice the potatoes and turnips into 1/6 inch thick slices. Arrange the slices in a glass 13x9 baking dish; slightly overlapping the slices.

In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients. Bring to a simmer then remove from heat. Pour the cream mixture over the potato and turnip in the baking dish. Sprinkle with pepper.

Bake for 45 minutes, or until the potatoes and turnips are tender and the top is golden brown.

Potato and turnip slices arranged in dish

After pouring cream mixture; before baking

After baking

Smoky Tempeh and Collard Greens

Recipe from Veganomicon (purchase here http://www.amazon.com/dp/156924264X/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=37420780265&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=1439449386966434121&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&hvdev=c&ref=pd_sl_8mo0rxgupz_b)

Ingredients for Tempeh and marinade:

1 8-oz package tempeh
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp liquid smoke
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp pure maple syrup
2 cloves garlic, crushed

For collard greens:
1 bunch (1 lb) collard greens
4 cloves garlic
1 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup leftover tempeh marinade


Instructions:
Cut tempeh in half width-wise, and then each piece along the diagonal so you have 4 triangles.
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil, and add the tempeh triangles. Lower the heat to a simmer and simmer for 10 minutes.
In the mean time, make the marinade by mixing together all of the other ingredients and wisking together in a shalow dish. As soon as the tempeh is done, place it in the dish to marinade for 1 hour, flipping the tempeh every 15 minutes or so.

Preheat the oven to broil. Place the tempeh in an oven-safe pan. Spoon some marinade over the tempeh and broil for 5 minutes. Flip it and spoon some marinade over it, and cook for another 5 minutes. Then, spoon some more marinade over it and cook for 30 more seconds.

For the collard greens:
Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Sautee the garlic in the olive oil for about a minute. Add the collards and sautee for about 2 minutes, then add the marinade and cook for another 10 minutes, until the collards are tender and deep green.

Buttered Bread Crumb Wax Beans

Ingredients:

3-4 handfuls Yellow Wax Beans

1 onion (optional)

2-3 fresh cloves garlic, minced (optional)

3-4 Tbps Earth balance margarine (or butter)

plain bread crumbs

salt to taste

Directions:

If using, chop the onion and garlic.

Cut the ends off of the beans, and cut into smaller pieces if necessary. Bring a pot of water to boil and cook the beans 5-8 minutes, or until desired tenderness is reached.

While beans are cooking, melt a Tbsp of margarine and cook the onion and garlic until the onion is soft. When the beans are done, drain them and add them to the pan along with the rest of the margarine. once it is melted and the beans are coated, pour thin layer of bread crumbs over the beans, mix, and repeat. Once desired amount of breadcrumbs is reached, continue to cook over medium heat to toast the breadcrumbs. Season lightly with salt.

Smashed Potatoes

recipe adapted from: http://userealbutter.com/2012/02/20/parmesan-gremolata-smasher-potatoes-recipe/

Shown here served with beer battered tofu

Ingredients:
small potatoes (such as fingerling)
salt
pepper
olive oil
spices (garlic, italian seasoning...)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 F.
Boil potatoes until they are cooked through - about 15 minutes for small potatoes.
On a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, drizzle some olive oil. Place drained potatoes on the baking sheet in a single layer and use a potato masher or meat tenderizer to press each one flat. Drizzle the tops of the potatoes with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt pepper and spices. Roast for about 30 minutes.

Garlic Aioli

Adapted from : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/garlic-aioli

Ingredients:
1/2 cup mayonnaise (or veganaise)
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
3-4 cloves garlic, minced (I used the jarred/squeeze bottle kind which is probably more mild than fresh)
few dashes garlic powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground black pepper

Directions:
Mix all ingredients. Refrigerate well before eating - I recommend refrigerating at least 1-2 hours to let the flavors blend. Making the day before is best. Otherwise, it will taste too much like mayonnaise.

Garlic Mashed Cauliflower

Recipe from: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/george-stella/mock-garlic-mashed-potatoes-recipe/index.html

Shown here served with vegetarian honey mustard pretzel-crusted "chicken"

Ingredients:


1 medium head cauliflower
1 tablespoon cream cheese
1/4 cup grated (or shredded) Parmesan
1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/8 teaspoon "better than buillion" veggie base
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh or dry chives
1-2 Tbsp Earth Balance margarine (optional)

Directions:



Set a stockpot of water to boil over high heat.

Clean and cut cauliflower into small pieces. Cook in boiling water for about 6 minutes, or until well done. Drain well; do not let cool and pat cooked cauliflower very dry between several layers of paper towels.

In a bowl with an immersion blender, or in a food processor, puree the hot cauliflower with the cream cheese, Parmesan, garlic, buillion, and pepper until smooth. Mix in the chives and earth balance.

Healthy Vegan Chili

Recipe is from: http://86lemons.com/fat-melting-veggie-chili/

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. vegetable oil

2½ cups diced red onions
1 cup diced carrots
2 bell peppers, diced
1 medium sweet potato, diced

1 (10 oz) bag frozen corn

2 Tbsp. ground cumin
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbsp. chili powder
4 Tbsp. chopped garlic
2 Tbsp. chopped jalapeños
2 Tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 (14.5 oz) cans diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans
1 (15 oz) can red kidney beans
1 (15 oz) black beans
1 (15 oz) can Adzuki beans (I used white northern beans instead)
2 Tbsp. chopped chipotle in adobo sauce
3 Tbsp. tomato paste

optional:
1 to 2 cups vegetable  broth or vegetable juice (You can also just use water.)


Directions:
STEP 1
In a large, heavy-bottom pot, warm the oil and sauté the onions, carrots, peppers, and sweet potatoes, stirring occasionally until vegetables start to soften, about 10 minutes.

STEP 2
Stir in the cumin, crushed red pepper flakes, chili powder, garlic and jalapeño and cook a few more minutes until fragrant.

STEP 3
Add the tomatoes, beans, oregano, chipotle in adobo, tomato paste and cinnamon. At this point, you can add a little vegetable broth, vegetable juice or water if you like your chili a bit thinner.

STEP 4
Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stir in the corn; cook 5 more minutes, until corn is heated through. Serve with your favorite toppings.

Thai Green Curry Lentil and Potato Stew

adapted from a recipe from the trader joes vegetarian cookbook (http://www.amazon.com/Love-Trader-Joes-Vegetarian-Cookbook/dp/1612431097/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top)

(Note: The original recipe called for 1/2 package of lentils, so I doubled it in order to use the whole package since I didn't have a plan for the rest and didn't want to waste them)

Ingredients:
2 small yellow onions
olive oil
1-2 tsp minced garlic (jarred)
1 package trader joe's cooked lentils
2 medium sized potatoes
2 jars trader joe's thai green curry simmer sauce
4 medium sized tomatoes

for serving:
Trader joe's frozen thai jasmine rice (comes in a box with 3 individual bags of rice)

Directions:
Chop onions. In a large pan, cook onions and garlic in olive oil for about 5 minutes, or until onions start becoming translucent. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Microwave the potatoes until they are starting to get soft (this is necessary or else you will be simmering FOR EVER). Add potatoes, lentils, and simmer sauce to the pan. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until potatoes are soft enough to eat. While simmering, chop tomatoes (remove the seeds). Add tomatoes to the pan and simmer (covered) for 5 more minutes. Serve with rice.

Fettuccine Pesto Alfredo

from: http://www.bigoven.com/recipe/175049/creamy-pesto-fettucine-alfredo

Shown here served with vegetarian chicken (Quorn gruyere cutlet)

Ingredients:
1 package (1 lb) fettuccine (I used whole wheat)
1/2 cup pesto (store bought, or home made recipe here)
2 cups heavy cream
3 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 small heads broccoli (optional - or any type of vegetable you want to add)
salt and pepper to taste
italian seasoning, onion powder, garlic powder, minced garlic to taste (optional)

Directions:
Bring water to a boil and begin cooking pasta according to package directions. Cook until just UNDER al dente.
Cut broccoli into bit-sized florets. Steam for 8 minutes and set aside.
While pasta and broccoli are cooking, make the sauce. Pour the heavy cream and veggie broth into a saucepan. Simmer over medium heat for about 10 minutes, or until slightly reduced. Stir in pesto and parmesan and simmer until combined and cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste, plus any other spices you wish (I added some italian seasoning and some garlic and onion powder, and a little bit of minced garlic).
Once sauce is to your liking, put drained pasta and sauce in the same pan. Cook pasta in the sauce for about 10 minutes or until sauce thickens - the starch in the pasta will thicken the sauce. Then, add the broccoli (or any other steamed veggies you are using) and stir well until combined. Serve with some parmesan cheese on top if you wish. We ate it with some vegetarian Quorn gruyere cutlets with some pesto on top.

Italian-Style Stuffed Peppers with Spaghetti

Ingredients (Peppers)
4-5 medium sized green bell peppers
1 package of vegetarian ground beef (I used boca crumbles)
1-2 small onions
1 large jar of tomato sauce (I used the shaw's organic brand roasted garlic)
~1/2 cup water
minced garlic (jarred)
spices: garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, italian seasoning, red pepper flakes
shredded mozzarella cheese
parmesan and romano cheese (optional)

Ingredients (Spaghetti)
1 package spaghetti (I used the Barilla? Plus)
olive oil
parmesan/romano cheese
minced garlic (jarred)
spices: garlic powder, red pepper flakes, italian seasoning

Directions:
preheat over to 400 degrees F.

In a medium saucepan heat olive oil and some minced garlic. Chop onions and cook for a few minutes. Add veg meat and desired spices and cook until meat is slightly browned. Add about half the jar of tomato sauce to the mixture plus about 1/4 cup water (eyeball it - don't make it too soupy). Simmer for a few minutes.

While simmering, prepare peppers. For larger peppers, cut out the stem and cut lengthwise. Remove seeds.
For smaller peppers, remove seeds and fill from the top. Add parm/rem cheese to meat mixture and mix (if using). Fill peppers with filling and place in an oiled pan. Bake for about 20 minutes.

While peppers are baking, boil water for the spaghetti. Cook according to package directions. When finished, coat with olive oil. Add minced garlic, spices, and parmesan cheese to taste.

Remove peppers from oven and use remaining sauce to cover the peppers. (sauce can be watered down beforehand with ~1/4 cup or less of water, if necessary). Bake for another 5-10 minutes. Remove and cover peppers with mozzarella. Bake for another 5 minutes then serve with spaghetti.

Ryan's Ghost Pepper and Jalapeno Salsa

adapted from: http://www.insanechicken.com/blog/ghost-pepper-salsa-recipe/

Ingredients:

6 large tomatoes * , peeled and chopped
1 can plain diced tomatoes (optional - see below)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small/medium yellow onion, chopped
jalapenos, chopped (Ryan used 4)
ghost peppers, chopped (fresh - Ryan used 3)
1 tsp white vinegar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
small amount of water (optional)

*We only had 3 small/medium tomatoes from the garden plus some cherry tomatoes. we used these plus a can of plain diced tomatoes. If you have enough fresh tomato you can omit the canned. The canned added a significant amount of liquid so adding water was not necessary. I would wait til all ingredients are added before you decide whether more moisture is needed.

Instructions:
First, peel the tomatoes. To do this, bring a pot of water to boil. cut a shallow "X" pattern on the bottom of each tomato. Drop into boiling water for about 30 seconds until skin starts to wrinkle. Take out and place in a bath of ice water. Then peel the skin off and chop into chunks. (Very small tomatoes will only take a few seconds in the boiling water).

Add chopped tomatoes to a pan with all other ingredients. Turn up heat until bubbling then turn to low and simmer, covered, for 5 minutes. Let sit for 1-2 minutes. Add salsa to food processor or blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Refrigerate.

Black Bean "Hummus"

from http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2011/03/12/black-bean-hummus/

Ingredients:
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, divided
2 tablespoons tahini, stirred well
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added black beans, rinsed and drained
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 small jalapeño pepper, seeded

Directions:
In the bowl of a food processor, process cilantro, tahini, water, lime juice, olive oil, cumin, salt, black beans, garlic and jalapeño until combined. Scrape down the bowl and continue to process until the hummus is smooth and creamy.
Transfer hummus to a serving bowl, sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cilantro. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve.

Roasted Garlic Hummus

adapted from http://sweetpeaskitchen.com/2010/07/31/roasted-garlic-hummus/

Ingredients:
2 (or more) heads roasted garlic
2 tsp minced garlic (from a jar - not fresh)*
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons juice from 1 to 2 lemons
6 tablespoons tahini, stirred well
1 (14 oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ teaspoon salt
Pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cumin
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, minced (optional)
water (optional  - only if needed!)

Directions:
For instructions on roasting the garlic go here.

In the bowl of a food processor, process chickpeas, roasted garlic, garlic, salt, cumin and cayenne until the mixture is almost fully ground. Scrape down bowl. Add the lemon juice, oil, and tahini and process until the hummus is smooth and creamy, scraping down the sides as you go if needed. If necessary, add up to a 1/4 cup water (1 Tbsp at a time) if the hummus is too thick.
Transfer hummus to a serving bowl, top with parsley, olive oil and a dash of paprika. Cover with plastic wrap and let stand at least 30 minutes (preferably longer). Refrigerate.

Basil Pesto

from http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/fresh_basil_pesto/

INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts (or walnuts - I haven't tried this)
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced (I use jarred garlic, as I find the raw garlic to be too harsh)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Note : for the cheese I used an Italian blend of Parmesan, Romano and Asiago, along with pine nuts.

METHOD

1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.

2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Serve with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or spread over toasted baguette slices.

Yield: Makes 1 cup.

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:
Full heads of garlic
Olive oil
salt + pepper (optional)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Slice off the top of the head of garlic, just enough to expose the cloves. Place garlic on a square of tin foil and drizzle olive oil over the top. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Wrap with foil, making sure garlic stays upright. Place on a cookie sheet or in a muffin pan and roast for 35-40 minutes.