Happy Saturday! I’m interrupting a day of studying to say, first of all, great comments on yesterday night’s continued discussion of diet, beauty, and health. Check the post out and share your thoughts!

And after you do that, you can feast your eyes on this little compendium of ten vegan recipes for Super Bowl Sunday! Below you’ll find finger food for every palate—from hot, gooey spinach artichoke dip to crispy, crunchy, salty yukon gold potato chips. I’m not much of a football fan (will be rooting for the Giants, though—hometown pride), but I do like to celebrate game day the way I’d celebrate anything: with delicious vegan food. Hope you all enjoy the game, and the recipes!

Black bean and corn burgers:

Yukon Gold Potato Chips with Rosemary and Sea Salt

Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip

Cool as a Cucumber Guacamole

Tangy Potato Salad with Basil Chiffonade

Ginger, Edamame, Lime, and Sweet Potato Burgers

Pesto Pasta Salad

Sweet and Spicy Candied Nuts

Smoky Southwestern Hummus

Mushroom, Lentil, and Quinoa Croquettes

xo

Happy Tuesday! It’s a bleak and rainy day here in NYC, but I’m looking forward to a steamy hot vinyasa class at Yoga to the People in a few moments, then dinner downtown.

So yesterday, I promised you the recipe for my sweet potato and lentil loaf, which was a hit at Christmas dinner this year! Before I get to that, though, some photos from a recent lunch at Peacefood Cafe.

Coconut, Lemongrass, and Kabocha Squash Soup

Raw Nori Rolls

Asian Greens Salad with Tempeh

The raw sushi were mine, and the salad was split. I swear, Peacefood just keeps getting better: more options, more raw items on the menu, more patrons. It is the coziest and most adorable lunch spot, and I can’t believe how lucky I am to have it right around the corner!!

Back to the lentil loaf. This is not the first lentil loaf I’ve ever made—it’s kind of a ubiquitous vegan dish—but it is the first lentil loaf I’ve been compelled to blog about. It’s hearty, the texture is spot-on, and it’s relatively easy to prepare. Beyond that, it’s full of nutrition in the form of oats, lentils, and sweet potatoes. This is comfort food at its finest, and it is heavily satiating! A great recipe for when you need something that will stick to the proverbial ribs.

Lentil Sweet Potato Loaf (vegan, gluten free if you use certified GF oats, soy free)

Serves 10

1 cup celery, chopped
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 tbsp coconut oil
1/4 tsp salt (+more to taste)
2 3/4 c vegetable broth (or water)
1 c lentils
1.5 cups grated sweet potato
1 cup rolled oats
1 tsp thyme
1/2 tsp rosemary
1/4 cup organic tomato paste

Organic ketchup (optional)

1) Heat coconut oil in a large pot, and sautee the onions and celery until soft and the onions are browning — about 8-10 minutes.

2) Add lentils and vegetable broth to the pot, along with grated potatoes.

3) Cook mixture on a simmer until broth has absorbed and lentils are very tender–about 30 minutes.

4) Stir in oats and remove mixture from heat. Add spices and season with salt and pepper to taste. Texture should be very thick, but pliable. If you think it needs to be drier, add some more oats; if it’s too dry, add a little water.

5) Press mixture into a loaf pan. Brush with ketchup if desired. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, or until a knife finds it firm. If the top starts to brown, cover with foil midway through.

Check out the texture! Pretty spot on, if I do say so myself:

The loaf also makes for some pretty superb leftovers!

On that note, I’m off. But before I go, I wanted to call attention to my brand spankin’ new FAQ’s page! Right up there, next to my recipes. This tab includes answers to all of my most frequently asked questions, from “what juicer/dehydrator/blender do you recommend” to “why don’t you practice food combining anymore” to “what are some good vegan dishes to serve at dinner parties” to “can you recommend a good nutritionist or health coach?”

Read, enjoy, and feel free to leave feedback if there are other burning questions that you think are universal enough to make good additions!!!

xo

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!

My holiday is split this year: I’m spending tonight in Arlington with my Uncle and Cousins, and tomorrow I’ll be heading home to New York to be with my Mom and her boyfriend. For that reason, it’s as good as Thanksgiving for me right now, as I write. How better to commemorate the special occasion with the two – that’s right, two—fabulous vegan Thanksgiving stuffing recipes I concocted today?

Stuffing: it’s one of the most beloved Thanksgiving mainstays. Unfortunately, it can also be one of the most calorie-laden and often the least healthy, what with the sticks of butter and pounds of white bread. The following two options offer more healthful alternatives and “swaps” to the originals (for example, coconut oil in place of butter) as well as a higher concentration of veggies! Both are also gluten free.

The first of the two stuffings has a traditional bread base. It is also a gluten-free bread base, which I know will send shouts of joy through the ranks of my GF readers: I used the Food For Life millet bread, which I actually got so that I could experiment with a GF version of my banana caramel bread pudding (more on that soon!). I will confess that I don’t love this bread on its own—for toast, for example, I will always use good old Ezekiel bread—but I do love it in other applications, like this stuffing. It has the thickness and texture of cornbread without the hassle of actually baking cornbread, and it’s made from one of my favorite whole grains—millet!!

Don’t be deterred by the long procedures in either of these recipes. As someone who is always very short on time, I designed them so that I could make them in a stepwise fashion, starting one day in advance with roasting either the veggies for the first stuffing or the mock meat for the second. But you can definitely make them in a single day if you want. Once the initial roasting step is over, it’s easy as pie!

Millet, Butternut Squash, Brussels Sprout, and Cranberry Stuffing, a.k.a. “Kitchen Sink” Stuffing! (gluten free, vegan)

Serves 6

1 lb butternut squash, cubed
1 lb brussels sprouts, halved
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 tbsp coconut oil, divided
1 cup onion and celery, diced
10 slices Food for Life Millet bread (or any bread of choice), left out for a day to become slightly dry and cut into cubes
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp poultry seasoning (check labels to be sure it’s vegan)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the squash, sprouts, and shallots in 1 tbsp oil and season well with salt and pepper. Roast till vegetables are very tender (I actually like my sprouts a bit singed) and remove from oven. Reduce oven heat to 350.

2) Heat other tbsp oil in a large pot. Sautee the onion and celery till translucent (about 5-8 min). Add the bread cubes and allow them to get golden brown with the veggies in the oil. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

3) Add the roasted vegetables, broth, nutritional yeast, cranberries, and seasonings. Stir the mix till the broth has absorbed in the toasted bread. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 20 minutes. Serve hot. And delicious.

This second stuffing is based on my friend Ricki’s amazing mock “meat” made with cauliflower. I added some veggies and seasonings, but the concept is the same. If you like the sounds of an all veggie and nut mock meat—sans soy isolates or other junk—check out the lasagna Ricki makes with this!

"Meaty" Wild Rice Stuffing (gluten free, vegan)

Serves 6

1 small head cauliflower, loosely chopped
1 cup walnuts
2 tbsp low sodium tamari, nama shoyu, or soy sauce
2 tsp liquid smoke
1 tsp poultry seasoning (see above)
1 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 diced carrot
2 clove garlic, minced and divided
1 tbsp coconut oil
2 cups mixed mushrooms (cremini, bello, shitake, etc.)
1 cup wild rice, cooked
1/2 cup vegetable broth

1) Process cauliflower and walnuts till crumbly in a food processor fitted with the S blade. Transfer to a large bowl and add the tamari, onion, carrot, 1 clove garlic, celery, poultry seasoning, and liquid smoke.

2) Roast cauliflower and walnut mixture at 350 degrees till nicely browned, about 30 minutes. You’ll want to stir it every now and then for even cooking. Remove from oven and set aside.

3) Cook rice according to package instructions in a rice cooker or over the stovetop. When it’s almost ready, sautee the other clove garlic and mushrooms till tender and thoroughly cooked. Add the cooked rice to that pan, mixing well, and then add the cauliflower mock "meat." Add the 1/2 cup broth and mix everything well. You should end up with a hearty, filling, "meaty" rice stuffing that tastes divine–earthy from the mushrooms and savory from the veggies!

This post is proof, I hope, that there are incredible stuffing options for every table that are 100% vegan, as well as 100% whole foods. While both of these stuffings are hearty, they are tremendously healthy.

Most importantly, both of these dishes are designed to please omnivores, but they are animal friendly food options for a holiday which is often anything but. Feel good about the flavor and the nutrition, yes, but most of all, make these stuffings and know that no living creatures suffered so that they could taste good.

With that, off to VA I go. Have a cozy, warm, and happy pre-holiday eve!

xo

Once upon a time in my early twenties, before I had taught myself how to cook, the thought of "entertaining"–or even cooking for my roommate–struck a bolt of fear deep into my heart. I could barely manage to make dinner for myself without burning something: how on earth could I be expected to elegantly construct a meal for four people, or ten? How would my peculiar food tastes translate into a meal that everyone would enjoy? Was I supposed to prepare a lot of small dishes, or just hope that I could pull off a giant casserole? Did I have to know things about wine?

These are all normal questions for a 22-year old to ask herself as she contemplates serving food and drink to other people. In my case, there were some unusual anxieties, too, because I hadn’t yet reached a moment in my recovery where I could casually break bread with other people. Restaurant dining made me anxious, as did eating in front of others. The prospect of being a hostess–a job that seems to demand such ease around food and cooking that one can put guests at ease, too–seemed like an unlikely fit for me.

Oh, how the times have changed. Entertaining is now one of the things I most love to do. This is not only because it gives me a chance to relish company, but also because it’s a fantastic opportunity to cook, cook, and cook some more. Like many passionate foodies, I show and share love through my cooking, and often find that a cookie or casserole or bowl of chocomole is more powerful that countless avowals of affection. Dinner parties, party parties, and candlelit meals at home give me a chance to put all of the affection exuberance I feel for the people close to me directly on the table.

Of course, entertaining is anything but a pleasure when you’re stressed about details. Now that I’m a student again, I’m basically incapable of weeknight cooking: I can make food on Sundays, and I can make it during some pockets between class during the week. If I want to have a guest or two over for a weeknight supper, I have to plan well in advance. This month, I have at least two dinners that fall on nights where I’m in class till quite late. This means that I need to have entrees that are essentially ready to serve, but which showcase the hard work and love that I like to pour into my cooking.

A few weeks ago, as I pondered how to pull this off without a hitch, I emailed a couple of friends for advice. What I wanted to know was whether or not I might easily freeze an entree in advance; all of them said yes, and graciously offered me suggestions. Angela thought that her butternut squash burritos might freeze well; I’ll be finding out when I make them for a quick dinner party next week. Dreena suggested either her chickpea tart or her chickpea ratatouille, which sound fantastic, and will be on various menus of mine during Thanksgiving weekend. And Ricki, whose recipes have never failed me, suggested that a table of omnivore diners might enjoy her meaty lasagna. I made it, adding a few tweaks and twists of my own, and it was a huge hit.

What I’ve realized over the course of these entertaining adventures is that having frozen things at the ready makes life almost totally stress-free. So it’s a new goal of mine to share some freezer-friendly recipes with you from time to time. Frozen entrees are key, but I actually find that it’s equally important to have pre-made or frozen accoutrements: mini pizza crusts for appetizers, a pantry stocked with beans for last minute party dips, vegan pie crust that can be used at any time for tarts or desserts, and, believe it or not, pesto.

Why pesto? Because pesto is like nutritional yeast: it makes everything better. It takes a boring white bean dip and turns it into a brightly flavored masterpiece; it elevates pasta dishes to new heights; it adds depth and exquisite taste to roast veggies, and it tends to make any salad even better. I’m a huge fan of pesto, and I use it in tons of my recipes (to start, my ).

I’ve been making walnut pesto regularly for years, and it was not until this month that I realized that the stuff can be frozen. Painlessly. Pesto freezes really, really, really well, and it’s useful not only to have around, but also as a means of using up your summer basil, if you happen to have a garden. You can freeze it in tupperware (per my photo), in a freezer bag, or even in ice cube trays (an ingenious trick I just learned about). It ought to last for at least a few months, because the garlic and lemon are preservatives along with the freezing. If you use the ice cube trick, you can simply pop one cube into a pasta or risotto right before you serve, or you can thaw a whole container and then store in the fridge for a few days. No matter what, you’ll be thrilled to have this versatile condiment at your fingertips.

This week, I used some frozen pesto both in Ricki’s lasagna and in a white bean + pesto recipe that I’ll share very soon. Had I not had frozen pesto on hand, I’d have had to run out for basil, overpay for it at Whole Foods, and spend precious time on yet another meal component. As it was, two meals were made easy with this simple frozen condiment. So, readers, take note: if you’ve got access to organic basil, or if you happen to remember this post next summer, as you face a glut of fresh basil plants, get thee to thy freezers!

Not sure which pesto recipe to use? I like the following walnut pesto, which I most enjoy on my roasted vegetable pasta salad.

Choosing Raw Walnut Pesto (Vegan, GF)

Serves 6

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Grind walnuts in a food processor till finely ground. Add basil and pulse till it forms a coarse mixture.

2) Add the lemon zest, garlic, and juice, and pulse a few more times. Turn motor on and run as you add olive oil in a thin stream. I like my pesto very thick, but add more oil if you like a thinner mix.

3) Add salt and pepper to taste. Use, or freeze!

Hope this post (and others to come) show you that entertaining and prepping food ahead of time are not fine arts. With only a small amount of effort and organization, it’s easy to pull off a fantastic dinner for yourself and others on the fly. Happy prepping

xo

Have you ever tried to convince somebody that salad can be a meal? Not a side dish, not a garnish, not a appetizer, but a meal. Dinner, served. It’s not always easy: here in the CR universe, salads are the stuff of feasts. But to many people, the word “salad” signifies nothing but greens, a drizzle of oil, and a watery vegetable or two. And given the mediocrity of your typical mesclun salad appetizer in a restaurant, can you really blame them?

I love salad. It’s my favorite meal by far, and for so many reasons: it’s versatile. It’s nutrient dense. It’s fresh. It’s crisp. It’s usually at least semi-raw, if not all raw. It’s a blank canvas, a vehicle for countless flavors and textures. And, if you shop for your produce wisely, it can be a very quick, easy, and economical dinner.

Sharing my passion for greens with the universe means showing friends, family, and readers that there’s nothing puny about a great salad. With a little creativity, it’s easy to build a meal-sized salad. And once you get into the habit of piling your salads high with healthy sources of fat, protein, and complex carbohydrates—not to mention exquisite piles of fresh, raw vegetables—you’ll never relegate salad to an appetizer plate again.

Last night’s dinner salad was a perfect example of just how satisfying a salad can be. It was inspired heavily by the wonderful “Aztec Salad” at Candle Café, my spiritual home on the Upper East Side. That salad is a mix of quinoa, corn, black beans, red onion, cumin dressing, seared tempeh, and greens:

Still enchanted with last week’s quinoa and black bean salad with quick cumin vinaigrette, I decided to make a few modifications, to add some scrumptious (and filling) seared tempeh, and to top it all with a thick heap of fresh avocado. The overall effect was a perfect tribute to the Candle salad I love so much!

Quinoa and Bean Salad with Spicy Seared Tempeh and Cumin Vinaigrette (Vegan, Gluten Free)

Serves 4

For quinoa salad:

1 cup dry quinoa, rinsed
Dash salt
1/2 large cucumber, diced neatly
1 small bell pepper, diced neatly
1/3 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 can BPA free, organic black or kidney beans
10-15 basil leaves, chopped into a chiffonade
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

For the spicy tempeh+marinade:

Juice of 6 small (or 4 large) limes
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp maple syrup or agave
1-2 tbsp tamari (or to taste)
5 shakes (or more) Tobasco sauce (don’t fear some spice in this marinade!)
1/2 tsp chili powder
2 packages (about 16 oz) tempeh

For the vinaigrette:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp lime juice
2 tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp cumin
Salt and pepper to taste

To serve:

6 cups mesclun greens or baby spinach
2 large avocados

1) Cook quinoa in salted water till tender and fluffy (use a rice cooker or the package instructions).

2) While the quinoa cooks: in a large, shallow bowl, whisk together all of the tempeh marinade ingredients. Cut the tempeh into 12 square pieces (I like mine thin) and submerge them in the marinade.

3) When the quinoa is ready, add chopped vegetables, black beans, and herbs to the cooked grain, and toss. Whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients, and pour about 1/2 cup over the quinoa, beans, and veggies. (If you don’t feel that you need all the dressing, just add as much as you’d like to.) Toss it all together.

4) Heat a skillet or frying pan with coconut oil spray or about a teaspoon of coconut oil. Over medium heat, sear the tempeh on both sides till nice and crispy. Brush with marinade as you go along.

5) Pile 2 cups mesclun greens on each plate. Pile it high with a heaping cup of the quinoa and bean salad. Stack 3 thick pieces of the seared tempeh on top, and then top each plate with 1/2 a sliced avocado. Drizzle more vinaigrette over each plate if desired, and serve to your (satisfied) guests!

This spectacular summer meal will satisfy all kinds of eaters: vegan, omni, health freaks, and foodies alike. And as you watch your guests like the plate, give yourself a pat on the back for having put salad at the center of everyone’s dinner plate.

What’s your favorite meal-as-salad? How do you sell salad to non-salad lovers?

xo

Great responses to the edamame hummus! I was excited to hear that some of you already tried it and loved it. Today’s raw-ish entrée—high raw, vegan manicotti—may not be quite so quick or easy, but it is delicious, and I’m hoping that you guys will be as quick to give it a shot!

Last Thursday, my friend Andrea came over for dinner at the Hobbit House. I love preparing meals for friends, because I have such an advantage: I knew already that Andrea loves my cheesy parsnip spread:

…and that she loves anything with Italian flavors. With a bag of parsnips (on sale!) on my hands, a ton of fresh summer basil, two ripe tomatoes, and more zucchini than a vegetable patch, I knew precisely what I wanted to make her for dinner:

And I knew—or at least I suspected strongly—that the dish would be easy to prepare and very delicious.

And it was.

High Raw, Vegan Manicotti (mostly raw, vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Serves 2

For the “pasta”:

2 large zucchini

For the pesto:

Hemp pesto (recipe to come later this week!) or any other pesto—give my walnut pesto a try!

For the parsnip “cheese” filling:

1 batch of my cheesy parsnip spread

For the sauce:

1 batch of my sweet red pepper marinara sauce (all raw—no simmering needed!)

For the cashew cream:

Use 1 batch of the recipe in this post

To prepare:

1 large tomato, thinly sliced

To assemble:

1) Lay three sheets of very thinly sliced zucchini (pictured below) with edges overlapping, and cover with a thin layer of pesto, a layer of parsnip spread, and a layer of tomato:

Roll all three slices up from the edge to which the fillings are closer, to the far edge, and seal with a tiny smear of pesto. You should end up with nice, neat rolls (check out my hemp hummus zucchini wraps for an additional how-to):

Cover with a heaping layer of sweet pepper marinara and a nice drizzle of your cashew cream. Serve!

I rounded out my meal with Andrea with a huge bowl of fennel, romaine, and tomato with my raw, vegan Caesar salad dressing:

We also nibbled on the last of my black bean and quinoa salad with quick cumin dressing, making for two very messy—and very tasty—dinner plates:

What a spectacular night of high raw, all vegan food!

This meal reminded me of how fun it is to work with raw-ish entrees. In these busy student days, my cooking is dictated more by necessity and efficiency than by artistry: I make dips, spreads, versatile grain dishes, raw snacks, and salads, and little else. But there is such joy to preparing a raw or high raw meal that’s complete and beautiful, and I hope that no amount of homework will ever keep me from this kind of dinner for long.

On that note, it’s time for this sleepy blogger to retire. My midterm was (I think) alright, but I’m running on < 4 hours of sleep. Night!

xo

Last week, I told you all about my lovely friendship with Kathy, who is one of the most enterprising and talented vegan chefs I know. I also alluded to a special project that Kathy and I were cooking up, which I’m ready to unveil today: The Kathy and Gena show!

Yes, that’s right: I’m banishing my camera-shy side to the curb. All of you who’ve asked me to do cooking videos, your wish is granted! Now you get to see just how goofy and awkward I am in person.

Of course, none of this would ever have been possible without Kathy, who is a tech mastermind and has the patience of a saint. In spite of the fact that we faced a number of tech issues in this, our first video, Kathy plugged away at the editing process and left us with two fun, entertaining, and beautifully put together videos. Kathy, you are amazing! Thank you for this, and for your watermelon frosty recipe, which is possibly the best thing I’ve tasted this summer so far.

So what was the theme of our video? As you’ll see in a moment, our goal was to share some raw and cooked, vegan summer recipes that would be quick and easy for entertaining, but pretty to serve, too. Most of all, we wanted to give you a few useful how to’s, including:

• How to “massage” kale salad (finally! I owe you guys a demo)
• How to wrap a wrap (seriously, how many of you don’t quite know how? I’ll be the first to admit that Kathy blew my mind here)
• How to make a summery frosty that doubles as a margarita base (AND succeeds in making Gena, the Watermelon Skeptic, love everyone’s favorite summer fruit)

Excited yet? I hope so!!! Todays featured recipes include two CR classics: my hemp hummus (which appeared on the blog this week in some cute zucchini wraps) and my massaged kale salad with outstanding miso sesame dressing, which I’ve eaten nearly every single day for a week! It also includes Kathy’s amazing frosty and photos of her bruschetta trio, which didn’t make it onto the video intact, but were absolutely delicious. The recipes can be found in Kathy’s recap! Our recipes come together in this amazing wrap: the GK wrap! Stuffed full with hummus, kale salad, mango chunks, and shitake mushrooms, it’s a cornucopia of flavor and texture! Wrapped to perfection by the wrapmistress herself, Ms. Kathy.

Enough talk: it’s time for you to see for yourself how all this stuff comes together. Let us show you!

Video 1: Hemp Hummus, Kale Salad, and the “GK Wrap”:

Video 2: Kathy’s Watermelon Frosty!

That’s it, guys! The “real me!” As you can see, I’m more of a goofball than the measured prose would suggest!

And if you need a refresher on the recipes:

High Protein Hemp Hummus (vegan, gluten free, soy free)

Makes 4-5 servings

1/4 cup shelled hemp seeds
1 can chickpeas, drained, or 2 cups freshly cooked (heat before blending for ideal consistency)
1/2 tsp salt (or to taste)
2-3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tbsp tahini (optional)
1/2 tsp cumin
Water

1) Place the hemp seeds in the bowl of a food processor and grind till powdery.

2) Add the chickpeas, salt, lemon, garlic, tahini, and cumin, and begin to process. Add water in a thin stream (stopping to scrape the bowl a few times) until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

3) Garnish with hemp seeds and serve.

Outstanding Miso Sesame Dressing (high raw, vegan, gluten free)

Makes 1 2/3 cups

1/2 cup mellow white miso
1/3 cup agave nectar
1/2 cup tahini (raw is preferable, but roasted is fine, and less costly)
3-4 tbsp tamari
1/2 inch fresh ginger (or 1/2 tsp dry)
1 1/4 cup water

1) Blend all ingredients together on high. Add more water if the mixture is too thick.

To make the kale salad pictured, begin with:

1 bunch curly kale
1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
1 large bell pepper (or 2 small), chopped

1) De-stem, chop, and wash kale well

2) Add about 1/3-1/2 cup of the miso dressing to the kale. Using your hands, "massage" dressing into salad well, till it’s a little wilted in texture.

3) Add tomatoes and peppers, and toss. Serve!

And now, time for some feedback! What do you want to see more of from the Kathy and Gena show?? We’re so excited about future episodes and want to take reader requests. Send them now!!

And now, I’m returning to what has been a so far blissful first day home in NYC. Tomorrow morning, I’ll start recapping all of my dining adventures for you!! See you then.

xo

Tomorrow, most of America will be gathering at cookouts, potlucks, family dinner tables, and other social occasions. If you plan on celebrating the 4th, why not celebrate it with some delicious, healthy, and cruelty free fare? Here are my favorite recipes for summer partying:

1) Ginger Lime Edamame Sweet Potato Burgers

2) Raw Berries + Cream

3) Cheesy Vegan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas

4) Roasted Summer Vegetable Pesto Pasta Salad

5) Raw Mexican “Rice” Pilaf with Spicy Cheese Topping

6) Ridiculously Healthy Millet, Kale, and Yam Burgers

7) Tangy Potato Salad with Basil Chiffonade

Sesame Noodles (can be served over cooked pasta or raw zucchini pasta)

9) Zesty Orange Cashew Cheese (awesome dip/bruschetta spread!)

10) Cheesy Stuffed Peppers

11) Foolproof Tofu Burgers

12) Smoky Avocado and Cumin Dressing with Jicama Slaw Salad

Happy July 4th from the Nation’s Capitol!

xo

As usual, wonderful and warm response to the latest Green Recovery post. Thanks to Wendy for sharing and to all of you for welcoming her story so graciously!

Yesterday, I promised you vegan enchiladas, and I do not disappoint: the following recipe for sweet potato and black bean enchiladas is probably my favorite enchilada recipe to date (I’ve made all kinds, ranging from the uber-traditional to the uber-weird). What made me think to make them, though, wasn’t merely the glut of corn tortilla’s at M’s place, or the fact that warm weather and Mexican flavors pair naturally, but rather the fact that I’ve been thinking a lot about iron lately. Just the other day, I got this email:

I have been vegan for a little over 6 years and always strive to eat healthful whole foods. Recently I have noticed that I am loosing lots of hair on my head, so my doctor took my blood to test my iron levels. Even though I eat lots of iron-rich plant foods (seeds, nuts, dried fruit, beans, greens), my iron counts were still way too low. Now, I am taking an iron supplement, but I really want to eat my nutrients, not take them in supplement form. Could you give me some ideas on how to add more iron-rich plant foods into my diet so that I won’t have to be on this supplement forever? My doctor told me to start eating red meat and liver (!) and I was kind of horrified.

I should preface my response here with a few key points:

• Severe deficiencies of any kind (B12, D, iron, etc.) can often be an individual problem that really does demand close medical attention; you might have malabsorption issues or a health problem that’s causing your levels to dip very low. Talk to a medical professional whom you trust about exploring the deficiency further.
• If you do have a severe deficiency, it’s usually wise to take the supplement your doctor recommends, at least until your levels normalize (I’m thinking here of the many, many vegans and omnis who write to me with very low Vit D levels, and want to know if they should take the medicinal level supplement)—yes, I think you should, and then explore dietary answers when your body is more in balance.
• Some new vegans have a hard time absorbing non-heme iron (the kind in plant food) at first, but actually their bodies do adjust and levels even out over time. Don’t panic right away about the fact that you’re eating lentils and still having low iron.
• Some dark leafy greens (namely spinach) contain compounds called oxalates that block our iron absorption if we eat them raw. This is one of many reasons I believe in a high raw, but not all raw diet: try to get a variety of both cooked and steamed vegetables.
• Strong iron supplements can be very binding, so try to take them along with lots of water and other foods that help you to eliminate well: this varies from person to person, but for me it’s lots of fresh juice, some whole grains, dried fruit, beets, band lot of salad, naturally.

Once you eliminate the possibility that you have a medical issue that goes beyond diet, and once you normalize the deficiency, you will indeed want to seek out some dietary changes that help you to keep iron high. And I assure you that this need not mean red meat or liver! Anemia runs in my family (all of the women on my mother’s side have had it on and off for life) and many people are amused to know that, when I became vegan, my anemia (which was also fueled by my ED) actually disappeared. I’ve never had a problem with iron since. This isn’t entirely unconscious, because I do give iron some thought (as I do all nutrients), but I don’t have to work overly hard at it, either.

Most dieticians suggest that vegans get slightly more iron than non-vegans, since non-heme iron is harder to absorb. Beyond that, all menstruating females (regardless of dietary orientation) should also be mindful of iron. So a good ballpark range is 10-15 mg daily for vegan men, and 15-20 mg daily for vegan women. Fortunately, iron is readily available in vegan foods. My favorite sources are:

• Blackstrap Molasses
• Lentils
• Soybeans
• Quinoa
• Tofu and Tempeh
• Black beans
• Kidney beans
• Black-eyed Peas
• Dried Apricots
• Raisins
• Tahini/Sesame seeds

Some people are surprised to hear about that first item: molasses has iron? It does, and if your bloodwork ever indicates low iron levels, you may want to try having a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses each morning (straight up, or in a bowl of hot cereal). It’s a concentrated iron source (15% of your RDA per tablespoon on average), and many find that it helps to stave off any signs of iron-deficiency anemia. If you can’t tolerate the taste on its own—which is understandable, given how distinctive it is—I recommend hiding it in foods. Put two teaspoons in a bowl of oats, a teaspoon in a smoothie, or a nice hefty dose into a baked goods recipe You might even put it into one of my chia puddings!

If those ideas don’t work, give these iron-rich enchiladas a try. The filling already provides some iron from black beans, but adding some blackstrap molasses makes it an even better food source. Beyond that, these are a perfect summer potluck or easy dinner recipe: if you cut the prep into a few phases (I made the sauce the day before I assembled these, the filling the morning of, and just baked them at night) they’re oh-so-simple to make. They’ll work nicely for a hearty summer meal or a warming winter one, and I can’t recommend them enough!

Vegan Sweet Potato and Black Bean Enchiladas with Tomatillo Sauce (vegan, can be GF, soy free)

Serves 4

For the tomatillo sauce:

8-10 tomatillos (I used ten very small ones)
1 small clove garlic
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped
1/2 tsp cumin
Dash tobasco sauce (or a dash cayenne)
1 tsp agave or tbsp natural sugar
1 tbsp olive oil

1) Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Take the skins off of the tomatillos and place them in the water and cover the pot. Cook till the tomatillos’ skin is splitting and peeling off, about 10-12 min.

2) Remove the tomatillos from the pot, allow to cool for a few minutes, then add them to a VitaMix or blender with all other ingredients. Blend on high till sauce is smooth (you can leave it a little textured if you like, but I prefer mine to be creamy).

For the enchiladas:

3 large sweet potatoes (or 4-5 regular ones), peeled and cut into large cubes
1/2 yellow onion
1 BPA-free can of organic black beans, or 2 cups freshly cooked
3 tbsp blackstrap molasses
1 tbsp almond butter (optional, but makes the filling nice and creamy)
1-2 tbsp lime juice
1/2-1 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp cumin
2 tsp chili powder
Black pepper to taste

8-10 corn or whole grain tortillas
1/2 cup or so Daiya pepperjack or cheddar cheese (optional)

1) Boil a large pot of salted water, and add the sweet potatoes. Cook till they’re fork tender, and drain.

2) Sautee onion in the pot you cooked the potatoes in (now empty) with a few tablespoons of water or some coconut oil spray. When they’re tender and light brown, add the sweet potatoes, black beans, molasses, almond butter (if using), lime juice, salt, cumin, chili powder, and black pepper, and mash with a hand masher or fork till the mixture still has quite a bit of texture, but resembles chunky mashed potatoes and beans.

3) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

4) Assemble your enchiladas by rolling about 1/4-1/3 of the filling into each of your tortillas, and laying them side by side in a small rectangular baking dish. Cover them with all of the tomatillo sauce (they’s supposed to be smothered), and then sprinkle them with Daiya if using.

5) Bake for about 30 minutes, till cheese has melted and enchiladas are hot (if you make the filling ahead and refrigerate it, you’ll maybe need a few more minutes than this).

6) S&S (serve & swoon).

Again, this is an easy dish to make ahead of time: whip up the sauce a day or two beforehand, make the sweet potato filling the day or night before (it’ll keep nicely in the fridge for at least 48 hours) and then simply assemble on the day of serving. Easy peasy.

1 serving of these guys provides you with over 30% of your RDA of iron. So, if you’re eating a balanced diet throughout the day, and if you pair them with a side dish (or array of side dishes) that also has a decent iron content, you’re in good shape to finish the day full of the plant-based iron you need. Keep in mind, too, that our bodies absorb iron better when we’re also eating vitamin C, so serving these with some fennel or red peppers is a great idea!

Hope this offers some clarity on iron, and inspires you to veganize your favorite enchilada recipe. Tell me, how do you get your RDA of iron? What are your favorite sources?

See you tomorrow!

xo

I had a lot of big plans for this week. They included unpacking completely, decorating completely (so that the new place would be cute in time for Chloe’s upcoming visit), lots of detailed and food filled blog posts, and getting all of my new textbooks for school. I’m happy to say I’ve done none of these things to completion. I have managed to get a student ID and sign up for a student gym membership, and I have posted a little food, and I have unpacked to some degree, but I’m nowhere close to where I wanted to be. C’est la vie, right?

I was hoping that I could offset all of my guilt about failing to meet my own (probably unfair) expectations for productivity in this, my first full week as a DC resident, by successfully catering my almost-birthday party last night. With a guest list of 25 or so, this felt like a worthy challenge.

I did everything I usually do when I cook for a crowd: I made a shopping list and list of dishes in advance, I shopped in advance, I prepped two days ahead of time, and I cooked for 48 hours straight. But in spite of these very well laid plans, I found myself close to a meltdown on Friday morning, exactly 30 hours before guests were due to arrive. Here’s what was on the menu—all 100% vegan, natch:

• Potato salad
• Pesto pasta salad
• Roast eggplant wraps with sundried tomato spread
• Roast red pepper hummus wraps with romaine and beefsteak tomatoes
• “Meat” balls with red sauce
• Polenta cakes with quick oven dried tomato relish
• Crostini with zesty orange cashew cheese and apple slices
• Vanilla cupcakes with chocolate and vanilla buttercream
• Brownies

I had roasted veggies for the pasta and eggplant for the wraps, but my first batch of meatballs had been catastrophic, the polenta wasn’t ready yet, and I had been making hummus and cashew cheese for two days without remission. I was tired, stressed, and convinced the food would disappoint. Weirdly, I think that blogging about food has made me a more self-conscious cook—I assume the expectations will be higher, so I fret a lot more.

It was in the midst of this little meltdown that Jacquie emailed to ask if she could stop by for a visit.

Jacquie is an NYC resident now, but was born and raised in the DC area, and though she seldom blogs at her current URL, I suspect it won’t be long before she blogs again about her foodie adventures. Jacquie is a gem: outgoing, sweet, supportive, and a true lover of all things culinary. She’s also a fellow ED veteran, who shares her story triumphantly and with real courage. Even though we’ve rarely had a chance to hang out this year, I love her company, and so I was truly touched when she offered to come all the way out to outer Georgetown to help me unpack and bake vegan cookies for my party.

Fact: I’m not good at asking for help. I like being in control, feeling as though I don’t need anyone, and eschewing the slightest bit of vulnerability. So I rarely accept offers of culinary assistance. But on this day, under these strange circumstances of moving and adjustment, it felt right. And it was right: we had such fun in the Hobbit House kitchen!

…until the vegan chocolate chip cookies refused to turn out right. We think it was too much chocolate (go figure!) and too much baking soda.

But even though our plans were a bust, Jacquie and I had a lovely time catching up, and her calm presence was a necessary counterpart to my discombobulation. Thanks, Jacquie!

Somehow, I managed to get all of the food ready in time for the party—that is, 80 wrap “pinwheels,” 30 brownies, 20 cupcakes (with homemade frosting) a party sized serving of potato salad, a giant bowl of pasta, 35 meatballs, 30 crostini, and 30 polenta rounds. Phew. By the time I finished, I was so, so excited to photograph all of the food for CR. And photograph I did, as my party guests—including Katie and Valerie, whom I was so very excited to see—looked on.

And then this morning, when I woke up, I realized to my horror that there hadn’t been a camera card in my camera when I took the pictures. A frantic dash to the camera confirmed my fears, and it took all of my self-control not to start crying when I realized that I’d missed a chance to show you all one of my best dinner party spreads.

Blogger. Fail.

This is such a weak point of mine—I can’t seem to document restaurant dining and entertaining with any regularity. But I’m going to get better, I swear.

Bereft, I spent the morning wondering if I could do anything to salvage my oversight. It wasn’t easy, since my guests ate nearly all the food (a good sign, I suppose), but I did manage to capture three of the evening’s highlights that remained in leftover form. First up? My summer roast veggie and pesto pasta:

Choosing Raw Roast Summer Vegetable Pasta Salad (Vegan, GF)

Serves 6

For the pesto:

1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
2 1/2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, rinsed and dried
1/3 cup good extra virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove
1 tbsp lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Grind walnuts in a food processor till finely ground. Add basil and pulse till it forms a coarse mixture.

2) Add the lemon zest, garlic, and juice, and pulse a few more times. Turn motor on and run as you add olive oil in a thin stream. I like my pesto very thick, but add more oil if you like a thinner mix.

3) Add salt and pepper to taste, and set aside.

For the pasta:

1 bag brown rice, quinoa, or whole grain pasta
2 bell peppers, chopped
1/2 red onion, sliced
1 small crown broccoli, chopped
2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
1 block marinated tofu (optional)
10 sundried tomatoes, chopped
Olive or coconut oil spray
Salt and pepper to taste

1) Set oven to 375. Place veggies on a baking sheet and spray with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast till tender and browning.

2) While veggies roast, add pasta to boiling, salted water and cook till tender. Drain.

3) Add roast veggies to the pasta along with the sundried tomatoes tofu, if using, and add pesto by two tablespoons at a time, mixing constantly, till pasta is dressed the way you like it. I like a fairly pesto-y pasta, but feel free to go lightly with the pesto if you prefer to.

This is a wonderful and easy summer supper, and it’s definitely tasty enough to serve to a crowd. Total keeper!

I also managed to save quite a bit of my giant urn of potato salad. This, friends, is my favorite potato salad—suitable for both vegans and non vegan devotees of the dish. Honestly, it can’t be beat; I always make a double batch!

Gena’s Tangy Potato Salad with Fresh Basil Chiffonade (Vegan, GF)

Serves 6-8

4 lbs baby yukon gold potatoes, quartered
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 cup Veganaise (or Nayonaise, or any vegan mayo)
1/4 cup sweet pickle relish
2 tbsp dijon mustard
2 tsps smoked paprika
1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste
10 large leaves basil, sliced in a chiffonade

1) Set a large pot of water over high heat, and add potatoes once it’s reached a rolling boil. Cook till fork tender.

2) Drain potatoes, and toss with celery and onion. While they cool, mix the Veganaise, relish, mustard, paprika, vinegar, salt and pepper. Add it to the potatoes and mash with hands or with two large wooden spoons. Add only enough of the mayo dressing to coat potatoes generously; you may well have extra.

3) Serve potato salad with basil chiffonade on top. Watch your party guests go crazy for it!

And, lucky for me, one recipe that survived into leftover mode (though just barely—it was popular!) was a wonderful white bean and pumpkin seed spread from Valerie, who was kind enough to share the recipe with me today. I absolutely loved this, and my guests did, too. I can’t wait to make it myself!

Rustic White Bean Dip (Gluten-Free, Vegan, Soy-Free)

Makes 3 1/2 cups

2/3 cup raw almonds (whole, slivered or sliced are all fine – the key is that they be unseasoned and, if possible, unroasted)
1/3 cup shelled raw pumpkin seeds (look for the green pepitas)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 tsp sage leaves
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped coarsely
4 cups cooked white beans, or 2 15oz cans, rinsed and drained (see note on seasoning, below)
2-4 Tbsps freshly squeezed lemon juice
Grated zest of 1 lemon
1-2 tsps sea salt (see note on seasoning, below)
Freshly ground black pepper

1) Toast almonds and pumpkin seeds in dry hot pan, stirring to prevent burning, until fragrant (about 2 minutes).  Set aside to cool on a plate. Wipe pan down.

2) In same pan, heat extra virgin olive oil on medium-low heat, add garlic cloves, sage and rosemary.  Cook 1-2 minutes, until herbs are sizzling.  Flip garlic a couple of times so it begins to turn golden to all sides.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.

3) While oil is cooling, grind the almonds and pumpkin seeds in a food processor until you have a fine meal, almost like a powder.  Remove garlic from olive oil mixture and process in food processor until incorporated.

4) Add olive oil mixture, including rosemary and sage, to food processor, with white beans, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and zest and 1 teaspoon of the sea salt.  Process until the mixture is thick yet spreadable, adding a couple of tablespoons of water if necessary.

5) Taste for seasoning and add black pepper to taste, and more lemon juice and salt. I ended up using 4 tablespoons of lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of salt total, but see the note on seasoning below, especially if you are using canned beans.  Serve with crackers, raw veggies or as a spread in a sandwich, or as a side to a salad, or as part of a lunchbox.

Note on seasoning: I used white beans I cooked in the rice cooker, with no salt or kombu (I plain forgot to use kombu, though I usually use it).  If you use canned beans I suspect you will need less salt.

If serving this dish to a crowd, garnish with pumpkin seeds. Today, for lunch, I stuffed it into romaine leaves and topped with my “quick oven dried tomato relish”—a recipe I’ll share sometime soon, when I’m over the pain of losing my photos!

Amazing. Thanks, Val!

Even when we do our best to plan ahead, life gets in the way. When it does, it’s good to have friends who lend a helping hand (with food, kitchen assistance, love, and support), along with a sunny attitude and a remembrance that good, like friendship, is lasting. There will be other dinner parties to share with the CR audience. For now, I hope I showed you the best of my leftovers—I’ll be savoring them for days!

What was your biggest unexpected food, or blogging, fail? How did you turn it into a success?

xo