I seem to be on a roll with salads these days.  Which is odd, because I’m generally not the most creative salad person. But between last week’s amazing quinoa salad and this one, I’m feeling like the Salad Queen. (Is there such a thing as a salad queen? There should be.)

Nutritionally, you can’t go wrong with black beans and sweet potatoes. In addition to being packed with fiber and protein, black beans are super high in flavonoids, just like blueberries, cranberries and red wine. So you’re getting  your fill of antioxidants. And of course, the sweet potatoes have similar antioxidant benefits, along with beta-carotene and vitamin C.

And most importantly, the beans and sweet potatoes taste terrific together. Especially when combined with a zesty lime-basil dressing. This is going to be on our brown bag lunch rotation for sure.

Black Bean and Sweet Potato Salad

1 very large sweet potato, peeled and cubed (about 3 cups)
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I recommend Eden brand – no BPA in the cans)
4-5 scallions, sliced
1/2 large red bell pepper, diced
Juice and zest of 1 lime
1 teaspoon dijon mustard (use gluten-free mustard if you are gluten-sensitive)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (or substitute cilantro)
1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Toss the sweet potatoes with 2 teaspoons oil and season with salt and pepper. Spread on a large baking sheet and roast for 20-30 minutes, turning once halfway through, until potatoes are tender. Put the roasted potatoes in a large bowl with the black beans, scallions and red pepper.

In a separate bowl, mix the lime juice, zest, mustard and herbs. Gradually whisk in the olive oil. Add this dressing to the bean-potato mixture and gently mix.  Season with salt, pepper and additional lime juice to taste.

Serves 4

I was uncharacteristically spontaneous today. I had planned to make a simple dish of curried beans and sweet potatoes, but had a sudden craving for something

spicy, and switched my plan entirely.  I spied  a package of seitan in the fridge, so I made up a spur-of-the-moment seitan vindaloo.  (I used the beans and sweet potatoes for a delicious salad – stay tuned for that in the next day or two.)

Vindaloo is an Indian dish from the Goa region, and is known for being fiery hot.  It’s usually made with chicken or lamb, but seitan makes a great stand-in and really absorbs the flavors of the vindaloo paste. My vegan version is heart healthy, with only a tablespoon of oil in the whole pot. The vinegar and lemon juice give it a major tang factor.  I used green peppers and carrots, but next time I may add potatoes, which are ubiquitous in restaurant versions of vindaloo.  By the way, did you know that vindaloo was originally brought to Goa by the Portugese?  Neither did I (thanks, Wikipedia!)

Seitan Vindaloo

1 small onion
3 fresh hot peppers (preferably serrano), halved and seeded
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into chunks
4 cloves garlic
1/4 cup vinegar (cider or white wine)
2 dried hot red chiles, soaked in water for 15 minutes (omit if you don’t like spicy food)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
1-inch piece cinnamon stick
5 cardamom pods
1 large or 2 medium carrots, chopped (about 2/3 c.)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 8-ounce package seitan, drained and cut into bite-size pieces
1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

To make the vindaloo paste, put the first 11 ingredients (through the cayenne pepper) in a food processor and process until smooth.

Heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. Add the mustard seeds, cinnamon and cardamom pods and cook for 1 minute or until the mustard seeds pop. Add carrots, green peppers and seitan, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add your vindaloo paste and cook, stirring, for 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 1/2 c. water. lemon juice, sugar and salt. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until carrots are tender. (Add another 1/4 c. water if the mixture gets too dry.)

Note: if you happen to see any of the cardamom seeds in the finished dish, take them out.  It’s kind of a drag to bite into them.

Serves 3 as a main dish, or 6 as a side

These muffins are quite miraculous, because they contain no butter, no eggs, and only 2 tablespoons of oil in the whole batch (12 large muffins).  Yet they’re rich,moist and chocolate-y, with a distinct banana flavor.  This recipe was inspired by a one in Dreena Burton’s Eat, Drink & Be Vegan. I have to say, I think I improved on her already inspired recipe by using whole wheat pastry flour instead of barley flour, and adding extra cocoa (extra cocoa is always a good idea). There’s no need to judge these on the vegan baked goods scale – they stand up to any muffins out there.

Chocolate Banana Muffins

1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons soy milk
2 tablespoons flax meal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup rolled oats, finely ground in a food processor
1/3 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 heaping cup of mashed extremely ripe banana
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons organic canola oil

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together the flax meal and soy milk, and set aside for 5 or more minutes. Add the banana, maple syrup, vanilla and oil and mix well.

Combine the dry ingredients in a second bowl, then add to the wet, stirring briefly.

Line a large muffin tin with 12 paper liners, and fill each about 3/4 full. Bake for 23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins

I don’t know why anyone would make boring old pasta salad when they could make quinoa salad.  This tiny grain has a subtle nutty flavor, and is a completeprotein with a perfect balance of all nine essential amino acids. Nirvana for non-meat eaters.

For this particular quinoa salad, I was envisioning something on the tart side. But when I tasted my experiment, I thought I’d gone way overboard with the lime juice.  In an attempt to tone it down, I threw in some currants. And what do you know, I had created the perfect balance. It’s sweet, sour, nutty and crunchy – what more do you want in a salad?

Tangy Quinoa Salad

2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
1 cup quinoa (well-rinsed, unless you have the pre-rinsed variety)
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 3/4 cups water
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup diced red onion
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted
3 tablespoons dried currants

Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a saucepan. Add quinoa and spices. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly for 2-3 minutes, until quinoa smells toasty. Add the water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the quinoa is tender but still a bit crunchy. Spread on a baking sheet to cool.

Combine the garlic, lime juice, cilantro, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Gradually whisk in the oil. Add the quinoa, onion, peppers, almonds and currants and mix well. Season with additional salt to taste.

Serves 4

Usually I find two or three recipes that I love in a cookbook.  But Peter Berley’s The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen has provided me with an astonishing number of favorites.  I especially enjoy the heartier dishes, such as  Smothered Beans, Beer-Braised Seitan with Sauerkraut and Onions, Polenta with Butternut Squash, White Bean and Sage Ragout, and Rigatoni with Cauliflower, Pine Nuts and Raisins. Admittedly, several of his recipes rely on more obscure ingredients such as arame and kombu, and he recommends making porridge from whole oat groats that you crush yourself – who has time for that?  But there are so many other great, simple dishes that I can’t really complain. And the other day I made the vegan oatmeal cookies, which were surprisingly delicious. This is a must-have cookbook in my book.

I have a soft spot for Eastern European food, and stuffed cabbage was always one of my favorites. It’s homey and filling – the very definition of comfort food.  I’ve had vegetarian versions, but they were on the bland side. So I swapped out cabbage for collard greens, which have a bit more flavor.  Then I made a filling that combines the chewiness of hulled barley, the crunch of almonds and the meatiness of both mushrooms and seitan. And topped the collard rolls with a lemony sweet and sour tomato sauce.  These would be really good served with mashed potatoes, but that would really be carbo-loading, so you didn’t hear that suggestion from me, ok?

Stuffed Collard Rolls

3/4 cup hulled barley

2 1/4 cup vegetable broth or water

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 carrot, grated

2 medium onions, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

8 ounces mushrooms, chopped

1/2 cup slivered almonds, chopped

1/3 cup chopped parsley

1 8-ounce package seitan, cut into very small pieces (best done by pulsing in a food processor)

1/2 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste

1 cup fresh whole wheat bread crumbs (again, use a food processor)

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, chopped or squeezed with your hands

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes in puree

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

10 large collard green leaves

Put the barley in a saucepan with the broth or water. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 1 hour. The grain will still be very chewy (hulled barley is always chewier than the pearled variety.) Drain off any excess liquid and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onions, garlic and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and almonds and saute 3-4 more minutes. Add the parsley, seitan, salt and a generous amount of pepper. Place this mixture in a large bowl. Stir in the cooked barley, bread crumbs and egg, mixing well.

To make the sauce, combine the tomatoes, lemon juice, sugar and salt, and bring to a boil. Set aside.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the collard leaves, blanching for 3 minutes. Drain carefully and lay the leaves out on kitchen towels or on cutting boards. Cut a V in the end of each leaf to remove the thickest part of the stem.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place 1/2 c. filling in the middle of each leaf. Fold the sides over, then the stem end, then roll it over the other end to close the roll. Place 3 cups sauce in the bottom of a large glass or ceramic baking dish. Add the collard rolls in a single layer and top with 3 more cups of sauce. Cover with foil and bake for 75 minutes.

Serves 5.