Peachy Keen Green

 Our kitchen was overflowing with zucchini and tomatoes from our and Elsa's garden. Larry fondly recalled ratatouille, so Cyndy and I gave it a try during her visit. We decided on this roasted vegetable version. Really good! And the fresh tomatoes added a lot. Ingredients 2 pounds ripe red tomatoes (6 medium or 4 large) 1 medium eggplant (1 pound), diced into ½-inch cubes 1 large bell pepper, cut into ¾-inch squares 2 medium or 1 large zucchini, diced into ½-inch cubes 1 large yellow squash (or second zucchini), diced into ½-inch cubes 4 cloves garlic, minced 1/4 C chopped basil 1/4 T red pepper flakes (or dice a hot pepper) olive oil salt fresh pepper Instructions Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line two large, rimmed baking sheets with silicon sheets or parchment paper. Chop tomatoes and puree in a blender/food processor. Dice eggplant, zucchini/squash, and pepper.  On one baking sheet, toss the diced eggplant with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil until lightly coated. Arrang...

 Cyndy made this salad for us during a visit. It has a great mix of sweetness, heartiness, and crunch. Beautiful and delicious! Ingredients 1 can drained chickpeas 1 C fresh spinach, chopped into ribbons 1/2 C dried cranberries 1/2 C walnuts, finely chopped 1/2 C red onion, very thinly sliced Vinaigrette: 1/4 C olive oil 1/3 C orange juice 1 1/2 T maple syrup pepper to taste Instructions Put all but vinaigrette in bowl. Mix vinaigrette, and then mix everything together. Let sit in the fridge or on the counter for at least 15 minutes before serving.

 Our friend Elsa has a bounty of collard greens, and invited us over to harvest. I got an Ethiopian cookbook called Teff Love a few years ago, and haven't used it yet; Ethiopian collards (called gomen) are one of my favorites. So I decided to give it a try, merging a couple of recipes in the book, making some adaptations based on what I had on hand, and it turned out really well! Ingredients 1-2 lbs collard greens, washed, ribbed, and finely chopped 1 T oil 1 red onion, thinly sliced 1/4 tsp salt 4 clove garlic, minced 1 tsp ginger, grated or minced 1 tsp Ethiopian berbere spice (or a mix of cumin, coriander, cardamom) 1/2 C vegetable stock 1 carrot, thinly sliced and cut into half moons Instructions Clean the collards, cut out the middle spine, and cut into fine slices. On medium heat, saute onion and ginger with salt for a few minutes, and add garlic and carrots and spice and stir a minute. Add collards and broth. Stir constantly from the bottom to the top, incorporating the mixt...

Larry's cousin John and wife Lou hosted us at their Massachusetts home in early October, when we were on our way to Portugal. Lou made this delicious and easy one-pan meal  for us, and loved it so much, she made it two days in a row! It's quite easy, and we love that it has legumes and veggies together. Below is a slightly adapted version. Ingredients Potatoes, cut into wedges 1/2 large red onion Brussels sprouts or green beans or asparagus 2 C (or 1 can) cooked chickpeas 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped Cherry tomatoes (optional; if using diced tomatoes below, can skip) Dressing: 1 C vegetable stock 1 can diced tomatoes OR 1/4 C tomato puree 1/2 tsp turmeric 1/4 tsp cayenne or red pepper flakes Dill (fresh if possible, dried is fine) 3 T oil Salt and pepper to taste Parsley, fresh (if you have it) Instructions Cut potatoes into wedges,  cut onion into slices, finely chop garlic, and chop green veggies. Drain chickpeas if using canned. In a 9 x 13 inches baking dish, place...

 Elsa hosted a birthday brunch last week, cooking up several experiments for us, all delicious! Larry went back for 3 pieces of this yummy lemon blueberry coffee cake. The original recipe called for a vegan cream cheese swirl and a powerdered sugar icing, but she skipped both, and it was great without.  Ingredients 3 C flour 1 1/2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/4 tsp salt 1 C sugar 1/2 C vegan butter 3/4 C dairy-free yogurt or sour cream 1/3 C nondairy milk 1/4 C lemon juice 3 T lemon zest 1 T vanilla 12 oz (1 pint) blueberries Crumble topping: 1 C flour, plus 1 T for coating blueberries 1 tsp cinnamon 3/4 C sugar 5 T vegan butter, melted 1 tsp vanilla 1/8 tsp salt Instructions Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a bundt cake pan with butter and dust with flour. Rinse blueberries and pour in a small bowl. Add 1 T flour and toss to coat. This will prevent the blueberries from sinking. Make the crumble: mix ingredients and set aside. Make cake batter: In a large bowl, ad...

A nice vegan  chocolate cake recipe from Isa that I adjusted slightly -- by doubling it (because her recipe makes just one 8" round). For a 2-tier round cake, I let the ganache cool and then spread it on. For a rectangular pan cake, I sometimes poke holes all over the top of the cake before it cools completely and then pour the ganache on warm so it seeps into the holes. The photos on the right show the same cake with cool vs. warm versions of ganache. Ingredients 2 cups plain, unsweetened almond milk 2 tsp vinegar (apple cider or white balsamic) 1 1/2 cups sugar 2/3 cup canola oil 3 tsp vanilla extract optional: zest of 1 orange (let it infuse in the oil) Dry mix: 2 cups flour (I use white whole wheat) 2/3 cup cocoa powder 1 1/2 tsp baking soda 1 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt Ganache: 1 C plain, unsweetened almond milk 12 oz semi sweet chocolate (like TJ Dark Chocolate or Chocolate Chunk Chips) Instructions Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together the alm...

Purple Carrot's  Crispy Sheet Pan Tofu  was relatively easy, with a couple nice twists, including the lentil grain mix, dressing, and layering. I don't expect to order more from Purple Carrot (see below*), but was glad for this recipe. I tweaked it to use  mujadara  and tried different veggies for dinner with Judy and Robert when they visited. Thanks, Robert, for the nice photo! Ingredients 1/2 C dry grains (mix of lentils, rice, quinoa) OR make mujadara  (yum!) 6 oz green beans 6 oz broccoli florets Other veggies as desired (mushroom, peppers, etc.) 16 oz extra firm tofu, pressed & drained 1 tsp coriander 1 T canola oil pinch salt and pepper lemon zest (other spices, like garlic and red pepper flakes, as desired) miso dressing: 2 T lemon juice 1/4 C hemp seeds (optional) 1 T white miso paste 1 tsp sesame seeds 1 T olive oil 3 T water Instructions Cook the grains in instant pot or with 1 1/4 C water on the stove (bring to boil, simmer 25 minutes). Remove fro...

When we visit Robert and Judy, we often get to sample Robert's latest delicious homemade bread.  Robert shared with me the NYTimes recipe he follows for no-knead bread . He uses this recipe (also below, with whole wheat) with all whole-wheat flour, but suggested that I use some white flour the first time. I bought a 6 qt enamel dutch this week for this purpose, using it for the first time yesterday to make a yummy mushroom white bean gratin . Today I gave the bread a go. It turned out great! Definitely doing this again. Ingredients 1 C white flour 2 C whole wheat flour (or 1 C rye, 1 C whole wheat) 1/4 tsp instant yeast 1 1/2 tsp salt  1 5/8 C water (note: maybe more with whole wheat) Wheat bran or corn bran for dusting Parchment paper for transfer to dutch oven optional additions to dough: 1 C chopped walnuts, OR 2 T finely chopped rosemary 1 C kalamata olives Time needed: 18 hours + 2 hours + 40 min Instructions In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add 1 5/8 cups w...

Elsa made this dish for a dinner party a couple of times, served with a salad. It was so good; I loved the rich flavor from the white beans and veggies and crusty bread -- so much that I bought a 6-qt cast iron dutch oven largely so I could try this out. The recipe below I've adapted some to add more veggies and a mix of fresh herbs. Ingredients 1/4 C oil 1 leek (or onion), finely chopped 3 large carrots, cut in 3/4" pieces 3 large celery, chopped (optional) 1 large potato, chopped (optional) (or other root veggies) 10 oz mushrooms, sliced 4-5 cloves garlic, minced 2 T flour 1 C water 3/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 T tomato paste OR 1 can diced tomatoes 1/2 tsp thyme 1/2 C dry sherry 30 oz white beans (cooked, or two 15 oz cans) 4-5 slices country bread, cut in 1/2" cubes 1/4 C oil (olive or canola) 1/4 C minced parsley OR mix of fresh herbs (basil, thyme, rosemary, sage) chopped Instructions Chop and dice the veggies. Whisk together the flour and water.  Saute onion (with...

I've been looking for more good soup recipes, and got this yummy recipe from Shelley Million. It's very easy to make, and has an earthy, yummy taste from the cumin and turmeric. The version below is just slightly adapted, including adding a small bit of onion. Ingredients 2 T oil 1 T cumin seed 1 head cabbage, chopped 1/2 small onion, chopped 2 potatoes, chopped (optional) 2-4 cloves garlic, diced 2 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp salt 1/2 tsp black pepper 4 C vegetable broth 1/2 C cashew cream or coconut milk Instructions Saute cumin seed and onion in oil for a couple of minutes. Add chopped cabbage (and potato, if using) and saute for 10 minutes until the cabbage is soft. Add garlic, turmeric, salt, and pepper, and saute a couple more minutes. Add broth. Boil, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. Turn off heat and add coconut milk. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Serve! 

Judy and Robert made a variation of this delicious NYTimes recipe for Za’atar Roasted Tofu With Chickpeas, Tomatoes and Lemony Tahini for lunch before we enjoyed a beautiful hike through redwoods at Robert's Regional Recreation Area . Below is a variation close to what they made, and I want to replicate! Ingredients 14 oz firm tofu, drained 1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed and patted dry 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (can also try butternut squash) 1 (8-ounce) bag leafy greens, such as baby spinach, baby kale, arugula, or mixed greens Salt and pepper Marinade: 3 garlic cloves, diced 2 lemons 2T oil 1 1/2 T za’atar dry spice mix  1 tsp dried oregano or marjoram 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley 2 T soy sauce (for 2nd half of marinade, used on tofu) Dressing: 1/4 C tahini 1 T honey 2T water Farro, barley, wild rice medley, or other grain, for serving Instructions Heat oven to 425 degrees. Cut the drained tofu into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Combine the chickpeas and tomatoes on a half...

A simple, delicious dish, created by Munira. Who'da thought corn and tofu would be so good together? You might be tempted to add other ingredients; feel free. But it really is delicious in its simplicity. Ingredients 1 block tofu, drained 2 cups frozen corn, thawed garlic, diced pepper, diced oil salt to taste Instructions Press the tofu to drain some of the water. Cut into chunks. In a pan, saute diced garlic and pepper in oil. Add the tofu and saute until browned. Add the corn and saute a few more minutes. Salt to taste. Serve with rice or roti.

Judi shared her easy marinated and baked tofu recipe, yay! I've tried other marinades and not been so happy with them; they've been too liquidy, and didn't turn out better than frying. This one was easy and the marinade really stuck to the tofu because it was thick from the cornstarch and nutritional yeast. Serve on salad or in a stir fry. Ingredients 1 tsp rice vinegar 1 T soy sauce 1 T oil 2 tsp sesame oil onion pwd to taste garlic pwd to taste 1 T cornstarch 2 T nutritional yeast  (try other spices as desired; maybe hot pepper?) Instructions Drain and press a block of tofu, and cut into chunks. Mix the marinade. Put both into a covered container and turn to toss gently. Bake on a silicon sheet in the oven at 350 for 20-ish minutes.

Marina shared a recipe for Cauliflower Salad Sandwiches from the New York Times; delicious! If you make sandwiches, a roll handy to keep everything in place, since it's a bit chunky. Alternately,  serve on top of a lettuce salad (yum!), or as a side salad by itself. Ingredients Head of cauliflower, cut into 1-inch slices 6 T canola oil 5 tsp curry powder 1/4 C walnuts, chopped 1/3 C golden raisins 1 apple, chopped 1 lemon, zested and juiced 1/2 C vegan mayo 1/2 C plain yogurt (optional; I didn't have/need) 1/2 C cilantro leaves Salt and black pepper to taste Whole wheat rolls or lettuce salad (optional) Instructions Preheat oven to 450. Toss cauliflower with 3 T oil, 3 tsp curry powder, and large pinch of salt. Spread on baking sheet at bake for 20 minutes. While the cauliflower roasts, toast the walnuts in a small pain with remaining oil and a pinch of salt for about 5 minutes or until lightly browned. In a large bowl, stir together the apple, lemon zest and juice, 2 tsp curr...

Rick and Lauren brought over an AMAZING upside down cake, made using Eric and Marilyn's frozen kumquats (which had thawed out during our 2.5 day power outage). Omg, it was one of the best cakes I've had. Rick did a mashup of this non-vegan kumquat upside down cake and this vegan pineapple upside down cake . Definitely use a cast iron skillet if you have one; I think it makes a difference (and I bought a 10" skillet just for this recipe!) If you don't have kumquats, try with pineapple or another citrus-y fruit! Ingredients Topping: 2 T vegan butter (original was 4; reduced) 2 T brown sugar, packed 6 slices of pineapple (1/4" thick) OR 20 kumquats (seed removed), sliced 1/4" thick, OR mix of mango and pineapple chunks Dry mix: 1 3/4 C flour 3/4 C sugar (original was 1 C; reduced) 1 tsp baking soda 1/2 tsp salt Wet: 1 pineapple ring or 6 kumquats (seeds removed), diced finely 3/4 C non-dairy milk (almond or oat) 1/4 C pineapple juice (or kumquat juice) 2 tsp va...