Confession time: I had never had beets until the first time I roasted them… I was 38 years old. They were just never in my house growing up, so by the time I got to be an adult, I never even noticed them in the store. One day, Ethan said he wanted to get some at the store, so we got them. Then there I was left with these dirty looking roots, not sure what to do with them. Knowing that nothing brings out the sweetness in root vegetable like roasting them, I figured roasting would be a good idea and got to work preparing them. I am so glad I did and so grateful to Ethan for getting them. For this recipe we bring together beets, onions, garlic and carrots – sort of going back to our roots. (Sorry.) Try a variety of carrots if you can them. Carrots come
When I was a little kid, creamed corn was my favorite side dish. My mom always bought the frozen kind that you had to boil in the plastic pouch. I loved it. I could eat it an entire package by myself. Interestingly, I never tried making from scratch until Ethan went vegan. I never tried to make it any other way than as a vegan dish. This dish is very simple to make and goes great with any BBQ or fried food you might be serving. You can use either freshly shucked corn or frozen. But which ever you choose, please make sure it is organic, non-GMO corn. I actually prefer using frozen kernels now as I have not had luck finding good, fresh, sweet, non-GMO corn. Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 20 minutes Servings: 4 Ingredients: 6 ears fresh corn (or 3 cups frozen corn kernels) 2 tablespoons
When I was an omnivore, I occasionally would use protein powders and shakes to supplement my dietary intake of protein. Mostly, I did this when I was mixing up my workouts at the gym, trying to pack on a few more pounds of muscle or trying to “cut up” and get more defined, lean muscle. Since becoming vegan, I have tried many of the vegan protein powders available. Unfortunately, I found most of them quite lacking in the taste department, some even tasted like dirt. No thanks. Moreover, while I love the Builder’s Bars from Clif bar company, I don’t always want to eat a bar. Please note, not all Builder’s Bars are vegan, be sure to read the list of ingredients when buying them. Last month, when we went to ThanksLiving at Woodstock Farm Animal Sanctuary we received gift bags as we were leaving. In each bag was a
You often see recipes for caramelized onions saying it only takes a few minutes. Those recipes lie. You can brown onions quickly, but to really caramelize them and bring out the sweetness takes time. The time it takes is well worth it. At the end you will have a savory and sweet pile of caramelized onions that you can add to vegetable broth for a French Onion Soup, use a a topping for pizza, or put on a sandwich. You can make these omitting the flour and sherry at the end, but if you plan on using them for a soup, the flour and sherry are a must. Prep time: 5 minutes Cook time: 1 hour Yield: about 2 cups Ingredients: 2 TBL vegan butter 1 TBL vegetable oil 5 large onions (about 3 lb.), halved and thinly sliced ½ tsp. salt 2 Tbs. all-purpose flour* ⅓ cup dry sherry*
This recipe is very special to me. It is the first vegan baking recipe I created. I have learned so much since I first came up with this recipe 4 years ago, but I still love it. It is also very adaptable. If you want to make chocolate chip muffins, just swap out the berries for the chips. I like to use sweetened milk and vanilla yogurt. However, unsweetened milks and plain yogurt are just as fine to use. These muffins are great on a weekend morning when you want to relax with your coffee and read the paper. They are also great for a grab and eat on your way out the door. Prep Time: 15 minutes Bake Time: 15-20 minutes Yield: 12 regular muffins or 6 jumbo muffins Ingredients Batter: 2¼ plus 2 TBL flour, divided ¾ cup sugar 1 TBL baking bowder 1/8 tsp salt 1¼ cups
Pancakes are very special to me. They are the first thing I ever cooked on my own. When I was around 7 years old, one morning my mom asked me what I wanted for breakfast and I said, “Pancakes.” She said, “OK,” got out the New York Times cookbook, opened it to page 468 and said, “here you go.” She supervised, but I did all the work myself. That was how I got my start in cooking. Since then, that recipe was my go to for pancakes. However, it used eggs and milk, so when I became vegan, I had to find something new. At first I thought I could just replace the milk and eggs and be fine. Replacing the milk was easy. Replacing the eggs took some work. I initially tried a mix of flax seeds and water and it was pretty good. However, I wasn’t thrilled. Then
Tofu scrambles are one of those things that we wildly differ on and our difference has it’s origins back in our pre-vegan days. Tofu scrambles are the original vegan response to scrambles eggs and omelettes. Ethan used to like his eggs firmer while Michael only liked them softer. It’s no wonder that most tofu scrambles do not work for Michael, as he only likes them made with silken tofu. Ethan, on the other hand, will order a tofu scramble over pancakes, French toast or any other breakfast item, that’s how much he likes them. It’s taken Ethan years of refining, adding and subtracting various ingredients to get this recipe just right but he finally struck gold. This is a savory tofu scramble so serve it with your favorite vegan breakfast sausages, with toast or on a bagel. This scramble goes well with just about any breakfast item you might
Mushroom duxelle is a fancy way of saying, “mushrooms, shallots and herbs made into a paste.” I came up with this recipe when I was creating a vegan Beef Wellington now known as Beefless Wellington. Once made you can add the duxelle to soups or stews for extra flavor. You can also serve it on its own as a spread for crackers. The first time I made this I was shocked at how much liquid there is in mushrooms. You are going to be squeezing most of it out, so have a non terrycloth dishtowel ready that you won’t mind staining. Prep Time: 5 minutes Cooking Time: 10 minutes Yield: about 1/2 cup Ingredients: 8 ounces Cremini mushrooms, cleaned 2 TBL vegan butter, divided 1 shallot, minced 1/2 tsp dried thyme Salt and pepper to taste 1/4 cup vermouth or white wine Directions: 1. Put the mushrooms in a food
A few years ago, Ethan and I were not going to be able to see my mother for Mother’s Day because of a wedding we had to attend on Mother’s Day. So, rather than miss seeing her at all, we had dinner with my parents the night before. We went to an Italian restaurant they like, that is very happy to work with people with differing dietary requirements, be it vegan, low salt, whatever. I called an spoke with them ahead of time and the only thing they asked was for us to bring our own dried pasta. They made their pasta fresh and it contains eggs, and they knew we couldn’t have it. When we arrived at the restaurant and were seated, the server came over and asked us how we would like the pasta prepared. We told him a red sauce would be fine. He then asked if
The sweetness of the sweet potatoes and corn get together for our Sweet Potato Corn Chowder. This is so hearty, it is a meal in itself.
