Print

1 medium red onion, very thinly sliced – preferably with a mandoline
2/3 cup red wine vinegar (or more if needed to cover the onion)
1 teaspoon sugar or agave
Pinch salt
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (oil-packed or other ready-to-use, see note above)
1 small head radicchio (Treviso is nice here) cored and diced (about 1½ cups)
2 tablespoons capers, rinsed
3-4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. whole grain elbow pasta
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

Place the onion in a bowl and pour on the vinegar, agave and a pinch of salt. Let sit for 1-2 hours. Spoon out the onions (reserving vinegar) and chop.

In a large bowl, combine the pickled onions, chickpeas, sun dried tomatoes, radicchio, capers, basil, salt and pepper.

Cook pasta until al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water, draining very well the second time. Place the pasta on top of the ingredients in the bowl, then pour on olive oil and 1/4 to ½ cup of the vinegar from the pickled onions (I like it with ½ cup, but you may want to ease into it.) Stir all the ingredients together.

Best served within a few hours, as refrigeration tends to dull the flavors a bit (but still good!)

Serves 8-10 as a side dish

 Print

For the cashew cream:

3/4 cup raw unsalted cashews, soaked in water for 6-8 hrs, drained and rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic
¼ teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ cup water

For the leek and mushroom topping:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
3 leeks, white and light green parts thinly sliced (2 leeks if they are huge with lots of white)
1 pound mixed wild mushrooms, sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

For the crust:

1 3/4 c. chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. cold water

Puree all of the cashew cream ingredients in a food processor until very smooth and thick. This will take up to five minutes, and may require scraping down the sides of the processor. If the mixture seems to dry to become creamy, add one or two teaspoons of water as needed.

For the vegetables, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Cook the leeks and a pinch of salt over low heat for 7-10 minutes, until soft but not browned. Remove to a bowl.

Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in the pan, increase the heat to medium and add the mushrooms along with another pinch of salt and a generous amount of black pepper. Sauté for 3-4 minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and most of the liquid has cooked off. Combine with the leeks.

To make the dough, mix the chickpea flour, salt and thyme. Drizzle the olive oil over the flour mixture and work together with your hands until crumbly. Add the water and mix very briefly, just until dough comes together.

Flatten the dough into a disk on a floured work surface (I used all purpose flour for the work surface, but you can use a gluten-free flour.) Roll it out with a rolling pin to about 1 inch larger than the diameter of your tart pan.

Loosen the dough by slipping a pastry lifter or metal spatula underneath. Fold in half and carefully transfer to a fluted metal tart pan, pressing it into the bottom and sides. If the dough breaks, don’t worry – you can easily piece it together in the pan.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover the crust lightly with foil (don’t press), add some dried beans or pie weights and bake for 10 minutes. Let cool slightly.

Top the partially-baked crust with the cashew cream, then the leek and mushroom mixture. Return to the oven and bake for 25 minutes longer. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

 Print

For the bottom crust:

1 1/2 cups flour, sifted before measuring* (I recommend half white flour, half whole wheat pastry flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons organic high-oleic safflower oil
3 tablespoons non-dairy milk (I used Pacific Seven-Grain milk)

For the almond crumble:
2/3 cup rolled oats (not quick) ground in a food processor
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup raw whole almonds, coarsely ground in a food processor
2 tablespoons cold Earth Balance margarine, cut into pieces
2 1/2 tablespoons organic high-oleic safflower oil

For the sour cherry filling:
3/4 cup sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch salt
2 1/2 quarts fresh sour cherries, pitted, with juice

Heat the oven to 375.

Almond crumble: Grind the oats well in a food processor. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and almonds. Process until the nuts are almost ground but still crumbly (not all the way to a fine grind.)  Place in a bowl, add the Earth Balance and drizzle on the oil. Mix with your fingers by pinching them together. Sprinkle with 1 or 2 teaspoons of water, and combine again lightly with your fingers until the mixture is coarse and crumbly.

Cherry filling: In a large bowl, mix the cherries with the sugar, cornstarch and salt.

Bottom crust (do not prepare in advance): Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.  Place the oil in a glass measuring cup, then add the milk, without stirring. Add to the flour mixture and combine quickly. Roll out between two pieces of wax paper, until it is about 12 inches in diameter. Remove the top sheet, and turn the crust over into a 9-inch pie plate. Remove the second sheet of wax paper. Crimp the edges, using the thumb and forefinger of one hand, and the index finger of the other hand.

Assembling the pie: Pour the cherries, including the liquid, into the pie pan lined with the bottom crust. (If your quarts of cherries were generous, you may end up with a dozen or so more cherries than you can fit – don’t force it.)  Sprinkle the almond crumble over the cherries. Place the pie plate on the oven rack, with a piece of foil on the rack below. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the juices are bubbling and thick. Cool on a rack to room temperature before serving.

* If you don’t have a sifter, spoon the flour lightly into the measuring cup.  Don’t scoop it – the measurement will be totally different.

 Print

1 1/2 cups well-mashed very ripe bananas (about 3 large)
1/2 cup nonfat yogurt – if using Greek yogurt, use a bit less and thin with milk
1 tsp baking soda
2 egg whites
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2/3 cup coconut sugar
1/4 cup organic high-oleic, expeller-pressed safflower oil
1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon cinnamon
½  teaspoon salt
2/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Mix the bananas, yogurt and baking soda in a small bowl and let sit for five minutes. Add the egg whites, orange juice, sugar, oil and vanilla and mix very well. In another bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. Add to the wet ingredients, stirring just until blended. Fold in the nuts.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly coat a 9 x 5” loaf pan with oil, and fill with the batter. Bake for 55-60 minutes, until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

 Print

4 tablespoons organic high-oleic safflower oil, divided
1 large onion, halved lengthwise then thinly sliced
8 oz. fresh porcini mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
2 8-oz. packages seitan, drained and cut into bite-size chunks
½ cup flour (I used white whole wheat flour)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry red wine, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons low-sodium tamari (or half tamari, half Worcestershire if you aren’t vegan)
4 cups vegetable broth, plus more if needed
1½ pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (about 3 medium-large), cut into large-ish chunks
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 small turnips, peeled and cubed (or substitute parsnips)
3-4 large carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces (halve lengthwise if the carrots are very fat)
1 bay leaf
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
½ teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
3 1-inch strips orange zest
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup frozen peas
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium high heat in a large dutch oven. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Raise the heat slightly, add the mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes, until golden brown. Add the garlic and cook for one minute longer. Remove to a bowl.

Place the flour and pepper on a plate. Add seitan and mix to coat.

Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the setian, discarding any excess flour. Cook for 5 minutes, until seitan is nicely browned all over, stirring occasionally with a metal spatula, scraping the bottom of the pan each time. Remove to a bowl.

Add the wine to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes or until it has reduced by about half. Add remaining ingredients except peas, vinegar and seitan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste for salt and add as needed, and pour in more wine or broth if the potatoes aren’t covered enough by the liquid. Add the seitan and simmer another 20 minutes, or until potatoes and carrots are tender. If the stew gets too thick, add more liquid as necessary. Add peas and vinegar, cook for two minutes, then remove bay leaf and serve.

 Print

For pickled onions:
1 medium-large red onion, thinly sliced, then slices quartered
¾ cup red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sugar
Pinch salt

For salad:
1 medium bunch of lacinato kale, stems removed, chopped well
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Zest and juice of one large organic lemon
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses (or substitute balsamic vinegar plus a touch of honey)
3 cups cooked chickpeas
1½ cups cooked barley or farro (see note below)
½ cup roasted, salted cashews, roughly chopped (or substitute chopped tamari almonds)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Bring the vinegar, sugar and salt to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the onions and simmer for 30 to 45 seconds. Let cool completely, then drain.

In a large bowl, combine the kale, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, and pomegranate molasses. Massage with your hands for several minutes.

Add chickpeas, barley or farro, cashews and pickled onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper – but go very easy on the salt, because the nuts are salted.

Note: You can use leftover grains here, but if cooking the barley or farro specifically for this recipe, cook less than the suggested time, to achieve a very chewy, al dente texture. Drain and rinse in cold water before adding to salad.

Serves 4-6