Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

These croquettes are definitely Indian inspired. Kind of a play on falafel. They're spicy and meaty. The sauce is sweet and rich. Running each bite through both the dipping sauce and my pear puree really made it a home run for me. When I make dishes of this sort that are a patty, ball or cake form of beans masquerading where meat would normally go I try to keep it vegan. It'd be easy to add egg as a binder, but I feel like that's the lazy way out. A little creativity and work can produce as good of a finished product without that shortcut. 1 can garbanzos, plus 2 tbls can liquid 1 jalapeno 3 cloves garlic 3/4 cup rolled oats 1/4 cup sunflower seeds zest and juice from 1/2 a lime 1 inch ginger 1 tsp celery seed 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp black pepper 1 tbl olive oil 3 grinds pink Himalayan or sea salt Add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until a thick, chunky, chopped meat like consistency is achieved. Place in a storage container ...

When the thought first occured to me to create a puree based upon pears and garlic I wasn't really sure about it. I'd never heard of or had such a thing before. A quick google revealed it had been done many times before and reinforced my confidence in my knack for pairing flavors. 2 anjou pears, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch chunks 11 cloves garlic 1/3 cup white wine 2 tbls white vinegar zest and juice from half a lime 1 tbl olive oil 1/2 inch grated ginger 2 tsp salt 1 tsp black pepper Peel  and core the pears and dice into 1/2 inch chunks.  Add to a medium sauce pan and coat with the vinegar. This will prevent them from turning brown. To the same pot add the rest of the ingredients. Simmer on medium low for at least ten minutes or until pears are tender. Turn off heat. Move pot to a cool burner on the stove. Use an immersion blender to puree all the ingredients until smooth. Or you can add everything to a pitcher blender instead to puree. Let mixture coo...

Do you have that leftover 1/3 jar of tomato sauce always hanging out in your fridge after you make a batch of pasta or ravioli? Don't want to waste it? Don't know what to do with it? This is an easy solution that also tastes great. 1/2 cup dry white rice 2 poblano peppers, diced 1/2 a jalapeno, minced 1/2 a serrano, minced 1/2 a habernero, minced 6 small cloves garlic, minced 1/2 cup spinach 1/3-1/2 jar leftover tomato sauce 2/3 jar's worth water 1/4 cup red wine 1 tbl canola oil Four different kinds of peppers turn ordinary jarred sauce into something special. A little wine goes a long way. Add all peppers, rice, garlic, wine, oil, water, sauce to a large sauce pot. Cover. Bring to a boil then lower heat and simmer slowly for 15 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in spinach.

Traditional carbonara uses either bacon or pancetta as well as parmesan cheese. But a skilled cook can create great taste without the use of meat. In order to compensate for the lack of pork flavoring in my version, I took a cue from pesto sauce and used nuts to add another dimension of flavor. I also added some heat because everything is better with a little heat. The mushrooms and peppers give up a lot of flavorful liquid as they're cooking. This goes a long way to rounding out the depth of the sauce. I went with basil instead of the traditional parsley, since it boasts a little more flavor. I switched up the cheese to provolone because I just felt it worked better with the other ingredients I had chosen. The result was a creamy, gooey, rich base embellished with earthy, sweet and herbaceous veggies and greens. 4 eggs 1/4 cup half and half 3 ounces provolone, shredded or chopped small 1/4 cup almonds, ground to a dust 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 2 tsps each salt an...

Again I'm indulging my penchant for combining Latin and Indian flavors. This time creating a curry sauce which includes traditional Indian spices and some Latin additions to shake things up a bit. Curry Mix 3 chilies de arbol, deseeded, broken into small pieces 1  Guajillo, deseeded, torn into small pieces 3 pieces allspice 2 cloves 2 cardamom pods 1 tsp cumin seed 1 tsp coriander seed 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp turmeric 2 tsps salt 1 lime, zest and juice 3 small cloves garlic, broken in half 1/4 cup olive oil 1 tbl vodka 1 head fresh cauliflower Buzz up the spices in a grinder. Mix with liquids in a small bowl until a thin paste is formed. Slice cauliflower in half down the center and then slice 1/2 inch thick slices from the center of each half outward. The innermost slices should hold together nicely. As you slice further outward the cauliflower will start to break up into smaller slices and eventually at its outermost you'll only get florets. Lay your be...

This time we're melding Africa and Latin America. The first time I tasted harissa I was in love. It's quite possibly the best condiment ever created. This riff on it uses fresh, locally sourced cubanelle peppers as the base. 6 cubanelle peppers, deseeded and roughly chopped 1/2 cup sweet onion, sliced 1/4 cup old fashioned oats 2 tbls nutritional yeast 5 cloves garlic 1 jalapeno, deseeded 1/2 a habernero, deseeded 1 inch knob ginger 1 lime, zest and juice 3 tbls olive oil 2 tsps salt 2 tsps black pepper 2 tsps cumin 2 tsps coriander Add all ingredients to a food processor and buzz until a slightly chunky puree is formed. Chill for at least a few hours. Really easy to prepare, but tons of flavor!

A simple and refreshing summer salad full of texture and pop. Acidiic and sweet. Beautiful colors and flavors. This is a wonderful example of the great food that can happen when you simply wander through the store picking out the freshest produce, take it home and get creative. 4 stalks celery, sliced on the bias 1 large cucumber, cut into matchsticks 1 pint grape tomatoes, cut into quarters 1 large handful celery leaves, chopped small 2 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 a jalapeno, minced 3 tbls olive oil 1/4 cup white vinegar 1/4 cup apple juice 3 tbls hot sauce 2 tsps thyme 1 tsp onion powder 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp paprika 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsps salt Add all ingredients to a large bowl and toss/stir to coat and combine. Chill at least 3 hours, preferably longer

This is an uncomplicated pasta  preparation that yields a lot of flavor from a humble array of ingredients. Less is more. 8 ounces mushrooms, your choice, sliced 6 celery stalks, chopped small 1 cup spinach 1 poblano pepper, diced 1 jalapeno, minced 1 habernero, minced 3 clove garlic, sliced thinly Cooked noodles, 1 cup water reserved 1/2 cup red wine 2 tbls; 1 tbl olive oil 2 tbls hot sauce 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp thyme 3 tsps salt 2 tsp black pepper In a large saute pan cook noodles in water with  2 tsp salt. Set noodle asides. Keep 1 cup cooking water in the pan. Add mushrooms, celery, wine and 2 tbls olive oil. Braise over medium heat for 15 minutes. Add spinach, garlic, poblano, jalapeno, habernero, hot sauce and spices, including the remaining 1 tsp salt. Simmer for 5 more minutes. Add noodles back to pan and remaining 1 tbl olive oil.  Stir thoroughly to combine everything. Continue simmering over medium heat until noodles have absorbed most ...

I found myself with an odd craving for lentil soup. I also wanted a big extra hit of protein because I was recovering from a pretty bad injury. So I decided I'd try adding tofu to my soup. I've made tofu lots of ways. Baked, sauteed, broiled, pan fried, braised, you name it. It can be difficult to get any flavor into tofu. It takes a lot of work. But I figured in a soup it would work well because there would be so much going on already, the tofu would simply function as an almost invisible protein source swimming in the deep, rich sea of all the other flavors. Despite being laced with the decidedly Asian ingredient, this vegan soup is full of Southwestern American and Italian American flavors. Onion Broth Peels, ends, outer layers from 2 large onions 3 ribs/seeds from jalapeno 4 cups water 1/2 cup white wine 1 tbl olive oil 2 tps salt 1 tsp black pepper Soup 1 cup water 1/2 cup assorted bell peppers, diced 1/2 cup poblano pepper, diced 3 plum tomatoes, diced ...

Big, beefy mushrooms are the star of this dish. Thick-sliced, meaty and accompanied by a rich sauce full of crunchy aromatics and herbaceous accoutrements. 2 tsps coriander seed 2 tsps cumin seed 1 tbl olive oil 1 tsp salt 8  ounces crimini mushrooms, sliced large and thick 1/2 cup tequila 2 ears corn, kernels removed from the cob 2 poblano peppers, diced 1/4 of a large white onion, diced 5 small cloves garlic, sliced 1 jalapeno, minced 1 serrano, minced 1 14-15 ounce can coconut milk 1 lime, zest and juice 2 tbls habernero hot sauce 1 tbl classic hot sauce large bunch parsley, minced 2 tsps salt 2 tsps black pepper 2 tsps paprika 2 bay leaves 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp turmeric Toast the coriander and the cumin in the olive oil for several minutes, until fragrant. Add 1 tsp salt and mushrooms. Cook a few minutes, until mushrooms are slightly softened. Add tequila. Cook 5 more minutes until mushrooms darken and release their juice. Add onions, poblanos...

A little bit of heat and a little bit of sweet. This simple little condiment really wakes up salads, sandwiches and rice. A little bit packs a big punch of flavor. I don't usually choose fruits to work with in my dishes, but recently I've begun to explore the savory applications of sweet fruits. I've discovered that it's a dynamic taste combination that has a lot of satisfying and exciting flavor sensations to offer. Go fruit! Salsa 1 large mango, diced 1 cup red onion, diced 1/2 cup colorful bell pepper, diced 1 jalapeno, minced 3 cloves garlic, sliced thin Dressing 1/4 cup hot sauce 2 tsps spicy mustard 1 tbl olive oil 1/2 cup fresh cilantro 2 tsps salt 2 tsps dry basil 1 tsp black pepper Whisk together dressing components. Add salsa components. Toss to coat. Refrigerate several hours before serving.