Our Veggie Kitchen

For years, I was intimidated by kale.  That seems strange and I must admit that I don't have any logic behind it.  But I avoided kale for most of my life.  That all changed when I ended up with a  bowl of cold kale salad from a local vegan deli counter.  The texture was amazing...and it wasn't even cooked.  I found that the key to good kale is to loosen it up a little.  Kale's leaves are rigid and firm.  If you rub them together in your hand a little, they become softer and more pliable.  And kale will keep that texture, to some degree, if you cook it.

Creamed Kale with Chickpeas
1 small can coconut milk, unshaken (5.5 oz)
2 cloves garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
1 can chickpeas (15 oz)
2 bunches kale
Sauce:
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1 tbs Braggs or Soy Sauce
1/2 cup soy yogurt (or more coconut milk)
1/4 tsp salt

To prep the kale, cut the stems from the kale and roughly chop.  Rub the chopped kale with your hands until it softens.  This will break down the fibrous structure of the leaves.  It's essential for cold kale salad, but a useful step in cooking kale as well.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat.  Add about half of the coconut milk.  You want the thick part of the can, which doesn't always happen.  Just do the best you can.  Cook for a couple minutes until the liquid starts to cook off.  Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook until the garlic is aromatic.  Add the onion and saute until soft.  Add the chickpeas and stir.

In bunches, add the chopped kale and stir into the onion.   It's helpful to fold the outer edges of the pan into the center.  Otherwise you may end up with half the kale on the floor or all over the stove.  Once all of the kale is wilted, add the sauce ingredients and the rest of the coconut milk.  Bring just to a boil, adding some water, a tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

It's delicious poured over a potato or piece of toast.

4 Servings:  342 cal (12g fat, 50g carbs, 15g protein)

I started clearing out my winter garden beds this weekend. All I had left was a few broccoli florets, some greens and tons of broccoli. My goal yesterday, then, was to utilize six bunches of parsley in an afternoon's worth of cooking.

First, I made a double batch of my Gramma Louise's Spaghetti Sauce. This is my all time favorite sauce. Since my original post, I've made a couple changes. It was originally a meat sauce, so I used ground seitan. It really doesn't need it. You can get a meaty texture just by pulsing the sauce in batches in a blender. I make a double batch and divide it into three portions, about five cups each.

While the pasta sauce was simmering, I made a big batch of Greek Pesto.   It's an intense pesto with lots of lemon & miso and parsley, oregano and basil.  I've made quite a few pesto variations.  Overall, I've only been marginally happy.  With this pesto, I cut way back on the nuts and it made a big texture difference.  I'll be using this recipe as a starting point in updating my other pesto recipes this summer.

Finally, I made Chickpea and Parsley soup.  I knew the flavor was good, but I was afraid of a baby puke texture and color.  By adding a carrot and by thoroughly blending all but one can of beans and half the parsley, I ended up with a terrific texture and a beautiful golden hued soup.



Chickpea Parsley Soup
2 tbs olive oil
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 medium carrots, finely grated
1 bunch parsley, divided
3 (15 oz) cans chickpeas, drained (about 5 cups cooked beans)
3 cups water
1/2 lemon, zested
1 lemon, juiced
1 tbs miso
1/4 tsp salt

Heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onions and saute until they soften. Turn heat to low and add the garlic. Cook, stirring often until the onions begin to brown, around 10-15 minutes. Cooking the onion, red pepper flakes and garlic slow like this will release a mild, roasted flavor from the garlic and caramelize the onion.

Add 2 cans of chickpeas, carrots, and half the parsley. Cook until the parsley is wilted and the carrot shreds are soft. Add the water, lemon juice & zest, and miso. Blend thoroughly in batches, if necessary.

Finely chop the remaining parsley. When the soup is blended, add the chickpeas and parsley to the last batch and pulse to roughly chop the last can of chickpeas. Return the soup to the stove, bring to a boil and remove from heat. Serve hot.

Alternately, you can add the last can of chickpeas and remaining parsley to the blended soup in the pan and roughly mash with a potato masher.

4 Servings: 422 cal (12g fat, 62g carbs, 19g protein)

My sister was in town last weekend and I wanted to treat her to a nice Indian meal. Since she detests anything spicy hot, I went with Moong Dosas, roasted potatoes, mango chutney and Channa Saag.  I love cumin and spinach together and the spices and textures blend perfectly together in this dish.

I make this quite often when I'm planning an Indian meal. It's pretty quick to make, it reheats well and it tastes really good.  Except for a few grams of fat, it's also quite healthy.



Channa Saag
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded & minced
4 cloves garlic
2 tsp cumin seed
3 tomatoes, grated
3 10 oz packages spinach, thawed, drained & chopped
15 oz chickpeas, drained
1/2 tsp salt
2.5 oz coconut milk (1/2 of a small can)
1 cup soy yogurt

Heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the cumin seed and cook until the seeds begin to pop. Stir in the onions and saute until they begin to caramelize. Add the peppers and garlic and saute until the garlic is aromatic. Add the remaining ingredients (salt to taste), and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer

6 servings: 246 cal (10g fat, 29g carbs, 10g protein)

This is my favorite "this-couldn't-possibly-have-beans-in-it" cream sauce.  I made it this time with asparagus & carrots, but its amazing with cauliflower and really good with zucchini as well.  At some point, I'm going to make this sauce with zucchini ribbons instead of pasta.  That should be a treat. The sauce really complements veggies and tastes amazing.



Chickpea Alfredo
15 oz can chickpeas
1/2 cup cashews
1/2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
4 cups BOILING water
2 tbs olive oil
1 clove garlic
1 tbs miso
1 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp salt (more to taste)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Combine all ingredients and blend. It's important that you use boiling water or the cashews won't cream up and the sauce will be gritty. Also, I use an extra large blender, so you may need to do this in a couple batches. And, finally, don't be afraid to add a little extra water. If you're combining it in a hot pan, you with pasta, the pasta will absorb some, and it will cook off a bit in the pan.

This makes a lot of sauce. Easily enough for a pound of pasta loaded with veggies, but it's great just poured over veggies. If you don't use a whole batch, I'll bet it freezes nicely.

5 Servings: 249 cal (13g fat, 27g carbs, 8g protein)

The Super Bowl is about to start.  I'm not hosting a party this year, so my focus is on food I can make ahead of time and whip out for dinner during half time.  I made a three bean salad to add a healthy aspect to a mostly junk food day.  It's easy to make, relatively healthy, and is great for a side or a light lunch.

Here's my menu:
Vegan Explosion Queso
Seven Layer Dip (beans, quinoa cooked in salsa, queso, letuce, tofutti sour cream, olives  &  tomatoes)
Tofutti CheeseSteak for dinner
Tots (with queso!  I can't wait!)
Three Bean Salad



Three Bean Salad
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp celery seed
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans
1 can (15 oz) green beans
1/2 purple onion, quartered & sliced thin 
1 tbs fresh oregano, minced
1/2 small lemon, juiced

combine the vinegar and sugar.  Microwave until the sugar fully dissolves and the vinegar is clear (a couple minutes, stirring once or twice).  Stir in the olive oil and spices and set aside.  Combine the three beans, the chopped onion, lemon juice and oregano in a large bowl.  Pour in the vinegar & oil mixture and toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least an hour (or overnight), stirring several times.  Refrigerate, if marinating longer than an hour.  Take it out of the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.

8 servings:  217 cal (8g fat, 32g protein, 6g protein)

My daughter just recently went vegan from being vegetarian.  And since then we've been shooting through Boca burgers.  So I set my sights on something similar to the Chicken Boca, something breaded and chicken-y and something that could be easily pulled out of the fridge, microwaved and eaten for lunch.

After some trial and error, I arrived at this recipe.  I tried some with & without breading, some baked and some fried.  This recipe isn't the closest to Boca, but it's definitely the best.  It's got a great texture out of the freezer (even better than fresh) and, even microwaved, it's got a thin, crispy layer.  The problem is, we're still shooting through Boca burgers because I can't keep these in the freezer. . . I think she's sneaking them out for her friends.



Chick'n Burgers
15 oz can chickpeas, drained & rinsed
1/2 cup bulgur
1 1/4 cup chicken flavored broth, boiling
1 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 onion, grated
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
3 tbs vegetable oil, for cooking
Spices:
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp rubbed sage
1/2 tsp dried rosemary leaves
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1/4 cup tsp black pepper

In a bowl, combine the bulgur and boiling broth. Set aside for 20-30 minutes, until the bulgur has softened and cooled to room temperature. Meanwhile, pour the drained chickpeas into a bowl (a pie pan works great) and smash with a fork into a coarse meal. Combine the spices and nutritional yeast in a spice grinder and grind. Add to the chickpeas along with the cooled bulgur & broth, the grated onion, minced garlic and 1 tbs vegetable oil. Stir to combine, then add the vital wheat gluten and mix to combine.

Put a cookie sheet into the oven and preheat 400 degrees. Knead the dough for a few minutes (maybe 5), and divide into 8 balls.  Form each ball into a patty.  The dough will be a little elastic, but should hold its shape without too much trouble.  Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and add 3 tbs vegetable oil.  Swirl around to coat and add the patties.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, turning after 15, until the patties are browned.  Serve hot, or refrigerate/freeze. 

8 Servings 213 Cal (8g fat, 23g carbs, 15g protein)

I wanted to make a cheese sauce that is spreadable, that gets melty when hot and that has more of a cheddar flavor. In doing so, I came up with this concoction. When cold, it's thick, but still spreadable. When heated It becomes creamier and gooey, but not liquid and it has a mild cheddar-like flavor.

I've been spreading it on cold sandwiches and making way too many grilled cheeze (it's way too good) and, also pictured, broiled on top of a Philly Cheese Steak I made with leftover 'pot roast'seitan.

It isn't firm enough for slices, like vegan cheese. Then again, it doesn't taste like rubber either.

Gooey Chedda Cheeze
3/4 cups chickpeas (1/2 can)
1/2 cup cashews, ground
2 oz pimentos
1/4 cup water
2 tbs nutritional yeast
2 tsp miso
2 tbs Earth Balance Margarine, melted
1/2 small lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp salt (more to taste)



Add all ingredients to a blender and blend thoroughly. Then blend some more. If you want a smoother consistency, you can push the sauce through a fine strainer. Serve hot or cold, spread on sandwiches or pizza or, my favorite, as a spread for grilled cheeze sandwiches. It also freezes well.

Makes about 3 cups.

12 Servings: 75 cal (5g fat, 6g carbs, 3g protein)

One of my favorite lunch-time restaurants has a Morrocan Chickpea Soup that I rather enjoy. This soup was an attempt to duplicate the soup and, the broth is pretty close. It has a nice blending of cinnamon and paprika and just the tiniest hint of bite. I ended up adding enough stuff to it, though, that I would classify this as more of a stew. The lentils and spinach made nice additions and the soup was hearty and tasty.

Oh, and on the chickpea front, I started the week with 4 quarts of cooked chickpeas and I managed to use all but about two cups. I froze the rest to see how they reheat.



Moroccan Chickpea Stew
2 tbs Olive Oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry lentils
28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 quarts vegetable broth
4 oz spinach, chopped (about 4 cups)
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
3 cups chickpeas
1 cinnamon stick
2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lemon, juiced

Heat oil in a large soup pot. Saute onions and celery until the onion is soft. Add the garlic and saute for a minute more, until the garlic is aromatic. Add the lentils, tomatoes, spinach, cilantro and broth. Bring to a boil and add the remaining ingredients (except the lemon juice). Cover and simmer until the lentils are tender, about half an hour. Stir in the lemon juice and serve.

6 servings: 297 cal (7g fat, 49g carbs, 14g protein)

Chow Mein is easy to make and finishes in about the time it takes to cook rice. The problem is, I don't really like it with tofu or seitan and it's a little light if you just use veggies. So I took my standard Chow Mein recipe and added chickpeas. The result was interesting. The texture the chickpeas added was foreign and not at all expected in chow mein. I liked it, quite a bit actually. But I can see where someone wouldn't. But it's good without chickpeas, so if you want to replace them with tofu or a meat substitute, or even just skip them altogether, feel free.



Chickpea Chow Mein
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 large onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, or bok choy, chopped
3 carrots, chopped
2 cups small button mushrooms, left whole (or larger ones halved)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 can baby corn or water chestnuts
1 can chickpeas
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 tsp garlic powder
2 tbs cornstarch

Melt margarine in a saute pan, then add the onion, celery, carrots and mushrooms. Saute until the onions have softened. Add the frozen peas, baby corn and chickpeas. Whisk together the garlic powder, cornstarch, soy sauce and vegetable broth. Pour into the veggie mixture and heat to a boil. Simmer until the sauce has thickened and the carrots and celery are crisp-tender.

4 Servings: 290 cal (10g fat, 42g carbs, 10g protein)

I made a big pot of chickpeas yesterday. This week, then, my kitchen will be chickpea central. I made Moroccan Chickpea Stew for lunches, Hummus for breakfast and at least two chickpea based dinners. And if my middle one isn't burned out on chickpea salad yet (she's had it every lunch for two weeks now), I'll make more chickpea salad. Maybe I'll freeze some, just to see how it thaws.

Tonight's dinner was Chickpea Burgers. I like burgers and I make several different kinds, out of chickpeas, black beans, split peas ... even zucchini. All my burgers, though, have two constants. I always bake them and I always make big batches and freeze them. I pull them out of the freezer and either rebake with fries or tater tots, them or nuke them for a quick lunch.

I like the texture of these burgers. They're not mushy or chewy, but have a nice toothsome feel. And with cumin and ginger rounding out the seasonings, they taste just different enough.



Chickpea Burgers
1/4 cup dry brown rice
1/4 cup dry lentils
1/2 tsp cumin seed (See Note)
1 cup water
1 can Chickpeas
1/2 onion, chopped fine
1 tbs ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp coriander
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 tsp browning sauce
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs catsup
1/4 cup vegetable broth (about)
3/4 cup vital wheat gluten
1/4 cup chickpea flour

Note: I used a teaspoon of cumin seed, my wife would have preferred about half that. I've been on a big cumin kick lately, so she's probably right.

Combine brown rice, lentils and 1 cup water. Cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to lowest setting and cook until the lentils and rice are soft and a bit over done, about 45 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir so they get a little mashed up.

Roughly mash the chickpeas, so that there are no whole beans, but they are not mashed to a paste. Add all other ingredients and need dough until the wheat gluten begins to bind. You may cover and refrigerate for up to a day. Split into 8 evenly sized balls and flatten the balls into thin patties.

When you are ready to make the burgers, pour some vegetable oil onto a cookie sheet, put in the oven and set it to preheat to 400 degrees. When the oven is heated, put the patties on the hot baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes, turning after 15 minutes.

8 Servings: 179 cal (5g fat, 21g carbs, 14g protein)

Chickpea Salad has to be one of the vegetarian world's best kept secrets. Its cheap and easy, low fat and high in fiber, and it's universally tasty. I brought half a dozen cans of chickpeas with me when I went camping this summer. I wanted to make sure we'd have something to eat regardless of the menu. Instead, the menu became chickpea salad sandwiches. My family routinely abandoned their turkey or cheese sandwiches for a little more chickpea salad. Every vegetarian's got a recipe, but, just for giggles, I'll post mine to.

Spinach Dip is one of those foods that I've always loved, but ate sparingly because it was so calorific. I set out to make one that was vegan and a little better around the waste. I succeeded. This version works great as a dip or sandwich spread (I've been spreading it on leftover chapati). It's firm enough to spread, but still creamy and has a nice spinachy taste.



Chickpea Salad
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/2 small pickle, finely chopped
1 tsp mustard
1 tbs vegan mayonnaise
1-2 tbs chopped shallots, scallions or sweet onion, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Black Indian Salt (optional)

Roughly mash the chickpeas with a fork. They should form somewhat of a paste, with some of the beans still whole and many partially in tact. Stir in the remaining ingredients. The Black Indian Salt is optional, but it gives it a faint eggy aroma that I find appealing.

4 Servings: 120 cal (2g fat, 21g carbs, 5g protein)

Spinach Sandwich Spread or Dip
1 lb baby spinach, washed and chopped
1 can water chestnuts, chopped
1 can white kidney beans
1/2 cup Tofutti sour cream
1/4 cup vegan mayonaisse
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Chop and cook the in a saute pan with just the moisture clinging to the washed spinach. Drain the cooked spinach by pressing between two plates. Put the spinach in a bowl and allow to cool in the refrigerator. Thoroughly mash the beans with a fork or in a food processor. Combine the beans, chilled spinach and remaining ingredients. Mix thoroughly.

8 Servings: 199 cal (7g fat, 26g carbs, 8g protein)

There's veggie coffee house in town that serves 'Silly' Cheesesteak. How can you not like that? Well, Shortly before I discovered this phenomenon, they decided to close their kitchen for a remodel. They've been closed for about a month and I've wanted cheesesteak ever since. Last night, I finally took matters into my own hands and made my own. Later, I spoke with my dad on the phone and I could hear his eyes blink as he tried to comprehend vegan cheesesteak.



Philly Cheesesteak:
This really isn't a recipe. Basically, take 4 beefy seitan cutlets from the freezer and allow them to partially defrost. Keep them as frozen as possible, though. Slice each cutlet as thinly as possible, then roughly chop the pile of seitan. Saute about 1/4 cup diced green pepper and half an onion (sliced in half rings) in a little oil and, when soft, add the chopped setian. Cook, stirring frequently, until the seitan is hot. I added a little of the cooking liquid from the seitan, but I don't know if it made any difference.

Spread a little Earth Balance on a hoagie roll and put under the broiler until browned. Pile on some of the steak mixture, then pour on some cheese sauce. I used the sauce from VeganDad's Mac & Cheese, but Nacho Sauce would work too, perhaps even better. I also smeared on lots of horseradish.

Chickpea Romesco:
I also made Chickpeas Romesco from the Veganomicon. I made it straight from the book, hence no recipe, and I must say, I was fairly impressed. It had nice fresh taste and the flavors came together well, which was a concern because I'm not a big roasted pepper fan. I was going to stir in some pasta shells, but, instead, poured it over rice. I think next time I will add some tomato paste, or a mix of diced tomatoes and tomato sauce and cook it with pasta.

Is it wrong to want comfort food so soon after Thanksgiving? The truth is, we just really like mashed potatoes. I made ten pounds for Thanksgiving, then bought another ten pound bag this weekend. With Shepherd's Pie, I always pile on too may taters and the filling ends up gushing over the sides. Inverting the process resolves that problem and leaves room for some tater tots. This isn't necessarily the healthiest thing that I've made, but it was sure good.



Upside Down Shepherd's Pie
6 cups mashed potatoes
1 lb tater tots (half a bag)
Filling:
3 tbs Earth Balance Margarine
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli florets
1/4 lb mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 can chickpeas, drained
2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup soy milk
2 tbs nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Melt margarine in a sauce pan. Add onion and mushrooms and saute until soft. Stir in garlic and broccoli and cook until the garlic is aromatic. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for a couple minutes longer. Add the remaining filling ingredients. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently and remove from heat and set aside. The sauce should have thickened a bit.

Spread mashed potatoes in a 9 x 13 casserole, spreading some of the potatoes up the sides. Pour in the gravy and veggies. Spread tater tots over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 375 degrees for 45-60 minutes, until the tater tots are browned and the gravy is bubbly.

This can be made with any combination of veggies that you want and can be as simple as mixing a bag of frozen veggies with gravy and adding a can of beans or seitan strips. Just make sure you have five or six cups of filling. Also, I kept the nutritional yeast to a minimum at my kids' request. I ended up sprinkling some extra over the top for myself. You may just want to add some more.

6 Servings: 607 cal (18g fat, 100g carbs, 16g protein)

My first vegetarian cookbook was the New Moosewood Cookbook by Molly Katzen. The first recipe I made from that cookbook was something she called Gypsy Soup. It was a pretty simple chickpea soup, but it always seemed to hit the spot. This recipe is inspired by that soup. It's got a nice medley of flavors and textures and, once again, it really hit the spot.



Gypsy Rice
1 tbs vegetable oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped fine
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery, diced
3 cups cabbage, shredded (about 1/4 head)
15 oz can diced tomatoes
15 oz can chickpeas, drained
3 oz tomato paste (1/2 can)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
3 shakes cayenne pepper
1 1/2 cups white rice
3 cups water

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium high heat. Add the onion, cabbage, celery and garlic and cook until the cabbage has fully wilted and most of the liquid has been cooked off. Add the remaining ingredient and stir to combine, making sure the tomato paste is fully combined. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 25 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked.

5 Servings: 376 cal (4g fat, 75g cars, 10g protein)