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Lemon Corn Quinoa

A lovely salad that works as a side dish for omnivores and an entree for vegetarians (easily vegan-izable). Can be served warm or eaten straight from the fridge.

Ingredients Step
4 ears of corn Cut off kernels into a very large bowl.
zest of 2 lemons (1 T.)
juice of 1 lemon (2 T.)
4 T. butter, melted
1 T. honey
½ t. salt
¼ t. pepper
Whisk together.
1 c. raw quinoa, washed
2 c. water
Bring water and quinoa to a boil, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Then remove the lid, move the saucepan from the heat, place a towel on top of the pan to collect additional steam, and replace the lid. Let sit 5 minutes. (Try to not overcook the quinoa!)
4 scallions, sliced thin
½ c. mint, chopped
Add.
Season to taste (salt, pepper, lemon juice).

I explained how I cook with quinoa on the Broccoli Spoon Salad recipe.

Pull-Apart Seitan Chicken

The best seitan recipe I've made. Works acceptably alone, or even better in chicken noodle/chicken rice soup or as bbq chicken. Tastes best if browned in some oil before using. If you're making soup, you can re-use the seitan boiling broth as its base.

Don't overtax your food processor's motor. You may need a new one if you make this recipe often....

To make a nice seitan, the broth must NOT be too hot. The technique below sets a "skin" first — otherwise you get seitan brains.

Makes 4 pounds, so you'll probably use it for 2-3 recipes. The weight/volume ratio is 2 c. shredded to 8 oz. weight. It freezes well after being pulled apart.

Ingredients Step
2 c. water
1 T. olive oil
2 t. apple cider vinegar
1½ t. salt (truly)
2 t. onion powder
1 t. garlic powder
½ t. pepper
⅛ t. turmeric (for color)
Whiz together in food processor.
¼ c. nutritional yeast
½ c. pea protein powder (aka pea isolate aka pea flour — nothing but "yellow peas" on label)
Process until smooth, about 30 seconds.
1½ c. vital wheat gluten Pulse in, until incorporated. Then process on low about 5 minutes. Give your motor a break as needed!
10 c. chicken-y vegetable broth (can stretch with water)
8 bay leaves
Bring broth to a boil in a large pan.
4 9" double-layered squares of cheesecloth
twine
Divide the dough into 4 pieces, trying not to overhandle it. Roll each into an 8-inch roll, fold in half, give a twist, and pull to 6-inches. Wrap in cheesecloth, snugly but not tightly, and tie with twine. If you have loose cheesecloths threads, try to keep them away from the seitan-touching edge. Leave a wee bit of slack in the wrap so the seitan can plump up (be able to pull the cheesecloth away by about ½ inch once wrapped). Let them rest until all bundles are prepared.
After the broth is at a low boil, lower the heat so it isn't boiling at all (but is still very hot). Add the seitan bundles, which will cause another drop in temperature. Bring the heat up slightly and let the seitan cook for 20 minutes in that hot broth without boiling. Then raise the heat to achieve a low boil, and let the seitan cook for 45 more minutes, lid ajar. Turn the bundles every ~15 minutes.
Turn off the heat. Cool completely in broth to room temperature, either on the stove or in a cool place. (Likely this takes an hour or more.)
Pull apart.

Source: Isa Chandra's Post Punk Kitchen

Carrot White Bean Salad

A lovely salad that works as a side dish for omnivores and an entree for vegetarians (easily vegan-izable).

Substituting other herbs and sweeteners works well. Thyme and maple syrup, for instance, is another nice combination.

Have it ready a bit before serving; it improves as it sits.

Ingredients Step
scant ¼ c. olive oil
heaping ⅓ c. shallot, very thinly sliced
Saute briefly, just enough to take off the raw onion edge.
warmed shallots and oil
3 T. lemon juice
¼ c. dill, chopped
scant ¼ t. salt
Combine and adjust dressing to taste. Don't sweeten yet. Set aside.
4 carrots, sliced (~2 c.)
olive oil
Saute the carrots in batches so they stay in a single layer, until deeply browned (~12 minutes per layer).
3 c. white beans (2 cans) Add. Cook about 5 minutes, until the beans are heated through.
dressing
~2 T. honey
Stir dressing in. Sweeten to taste (consider the carrots).
⅓ c. sliced almonds, toasted Serve with toasted almonds.

Source: Heidi Swanson (101 Cookbooks)

Black Bean Chili

I've cut this recipe down to a quarter of the original. It makes a high quality canned equivalent chili, not too spicy.

Ingredients Step
1 c. black beans, rinsed Soak overnight. (Alternatively, boil 2 minutes and then set aside, covered, to soak 2 hours.)
soaked beans from above, rinsed again
¼ onion, finely chopped
1½ t. fresh garlic, minced
2¼ t. dark chili powder
½ t. cumin
½ t. dried oregano
¼ t. cayenne
bit of black pepper
Combine in a pot. Add water to cover by 1.5 inches. Bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until beans are very tender (~1+ hour). Add water as necessary and maintain a simmer.
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
¼ onion, finely chopped
oil
While the beans cook, saute until translucent. Cook until celery is tender.
¼ c. corn (fresh or frozen)
¼ c. carrot, shredded
14 oz. can crushed tomato
⅛ c. #3 bulgur wheat or wheat germ
salt to taste
When the beans are ready, add the sauted vegetables and the fresh vegetables. Keep on heat until the carrots are cooked through.
Allow flavors to marry for at least 1 hour before serving.

Source: The Grit

North African Chickpea Kale Soup

Not truly North African, of course. But it does feature some nice warm spices.

This recipe makes enough to feed 2 people for a couple meals (it's only 4 cups of stock). To feed more people, double it.

Ingredients Step
1 small onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
Brown in the bottom of a soup pot.
2 cloves garlic, diced Add the garlic to the onion. Let cook about 1 minute.
¾ t. cumin
¼ t. paprika
¼ t. ginger
⅛ t. allspice
⅛ t. cayenne
pinch saffron, lightly crushed
1 bay leaf
½ cinnamon stick
Add. Let cook about 1 minute, stirring.
1 can chickpeas, rinsed Stir into spiced onion mixture.
4 c. stock Add. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes with a lid.
4 c. kale, torn to bite-sized pieces Add & stir. Ensure the kale is submerged. Serve once the kale is cooked to your liking (maybe 5-10 minutes?).

Source: Fat Free Vegan