vegan cooking

This is my late grandma’s (*pours out 40, kisses two fingers and places hand over heart*) recipe she clipped from a newspaper sometime in the late 40s or early 50s. My sister in law is from Taiwan, and when her parents tried this recipe (they had to go to an American food market to find molasses), they loved them so much they seriously considered opening a chain of cookie stores in their country.

These cookies make and break hearts. These cookies soothe the savage beast. These cookies start wars. These cookies write peace treaties. These cookies are pretty much the best thing that’s ever happened to you. To commemorate my grandma’s bad-assery, this is a very special HEAVY METAL episode of this here blog!

Your black, empty soul will need:

1/2 cup soft shortening
1 and 1/4 cups sugar
egg replacer equal to 2 eggs
6 tbsp. molasses
1 and 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp.salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups rolled oats

Preheat the eternal damning flames of your oven to 350 Fahrenheit. (The original recipe calls for 400, but I like my cookies chewy and I find this temperature always makes them just too crispy. Great for dunking in coffee, but not so good if you have had any sort of dental work in the last decade.)

Measure out your flour and throw up the horns.

Sift together your flour, baking soda, salt, and sin-amon.

A word on shortening: I only use Spectrum’s non-hydrogenated version because hydrogenated oils are for squares and totally not subversive at all.

In a bowl separate from your dry ingredients, measure out your shortening and add your sugar. Add your egg replacer, too, but make sure that if you use Ener-G that you mix up the starch and water in a little dish outside of the bowl to give the starch plenty of room to soak up that moisture so it doesn’t just turn into a big clumpy mess in your dough.

I love me some Ener-G.

Add your molasses. I use dark molasses because it reminds me of my soul.

Stir this mix well. Think black, Nordic thoughts.

Make a little well in your dry ingredients and add the goopy wet stuff in there and stir well. Make sure Satan is watching over your work.

After everything is nicely incorporated, stir in your goats, I mean oats…

…and raisins.

Lightly grease a couple of METAL baking sheets and drop the cookies on them in rounded teaspoon-fulls about 2″ apart. This should take several batches, so it makes a ton of cookies.

Watch those babies like a hawk. They burn fast, so keep a close eye. The recipe says 6-10 minutes, and I usually find it’s on the low end of that (depending upon the oven). If you use dark molasses, it’s harder to tell, but just look for when they start to lose that fatty shine. If you like them chewy, and you do, take them out right then. If you want them on the crispier side, like a square, then go right ahead and leave them in for the full 10 minutes and never speak to me again.

Ah, there we go. These cookies can’t help but make even the most metal of hearts wholesome and presentable. These are the kind of cookies you take home to momma. These are the kind of cookies with which you want to sign a lease. These cookies will bring you hot tea in bed when you’re sick. These cookies will burn you masterpieces of mix cds and let you wear their lucky wristband. You love these cookies.

And they love you, too.

So let’s say you’ve got this date. And it’s not just any date - it’s the second or third, maybe even fourth - the “come over to my place and I’ll cook dinner” date. And you really want to impress this hot hunk of opposite sex. What, pray tell, do you do? Well, aside from getting the proper body parts waxed and the proper arrangements with roommates to take a night out, you make a meal that your object of desire can’t resist. Here’s an idea for a pretty simple dish that wins them over every time -I call it Good and Polenta-y because it’s both. You’ll need:

1 package of TJ’s Meatless Meatballs
1 package of TJ’s polenta
2 red bell peppers (TJ’s shortcut: the frozen melange a trois bell peppers work fine too)
1 medium yellow onion
3-4 cloves garlic
italian spices (rosemary, basil, oregano, etc.)
a good heavy handful of fresh basil, rinsed and dried well, then chopped (save a couple leaves for a nice presentation)
extra virgin olive oil
1 can of diced tomatoes (TJ’s shortcut: the Italian Tomato Starter Sauce is a good fit here too)
Tofu ricotta - I used a recipe with extra firm tofu, agave, and lemon juice. There are a lot of those on the web so I’ll just let you use whichever recipe you see fit. Also, pictures of tofu simmering are boring.

Dice half of the onion pretty small and all of the garlic cloves. You’re going to sauté those babies in olive oil on medium heat for a minute and then add the bag of meatballs to brown ‘em up. make sure you add a little salt to get them sweated, and make sure you don’t burn nothin’. I like to throw the meatballs in the microwave for a minute to defrost them before cooking. Anyway, do that.

Chop up the other half of the onion into long lengthwise strips and do the same with the bell peppers. Toss those in a bowl with some olive oil, spices, and maybe a dash of balsamic vinegar and toss it around to get them nice and covered. While you’ve got your knife and board out, slice the polenta into about 1/4-1/2″ slices and set aside.

When you’ve got the meatballs nice and browned with the garlic and onions, add your bell peppers and onions to the mix and continue to cook over medium heat. Give ‘em a good stir every so often to make sure everything gets cooked through. I like to mash up the meatballs if I’m putting it in a casserole dish, but if you want to go for really pretty presentation keep them whole and separate from the bell peppers. This just saves a little skillet real estate.

When things are starting to look close to done, add a can of diced tomatoes. I’ll leave it up to you whether to drain them or not - if you drain them, the meal can be a bit dry, but if you add all the juice, the meatballs get soggy. So it’s up to you. I bet if you use marinara or the tomato starter sauce it’d be just the right consistency. Anyway, add your tomatoes and lube up your skillet with some olive oil and slap those polenta slices (ok, gently place them) down and brown them over medium heat on both sides. Be gentle with them. They’re delicate and fall apart easily. Just like an art major. Heyoo!

Ok, you’re almost done here. When your polenta’s just about finished (you may have to do it in a couple batches depending on pan size, just add fresh olive oil each time), toss the basil on top of the tomato-meatball-bell pepper-onion mix and toss just to incorporate and get it a little softened up. Really show it the what-for.

Oh man, everything’s looking and smelling amazing, huh? Ok, you’re pretty much set here. Now it’s up to proper layering. Think Jenga, only Italian and tasty. I like to put my polenta down as a base and do a layer of meatballs, then a layer of tofu ricotta, then polenta and so on. Top it off with your tofu ricotta and a couple leaves of basil to look nice. This is also great in individual bowls if you want to save some time. I bet if you used soy mozzarella that melted and baked it for a little while it’d stay in whatever shape you cut out, but otherwise this mother falls apart.

But we’re not concerned with that. No sir or madam. Because our date’s here with a winning smile and hungry eyes. And I’m not saying this dish is guaranteed to get you laid, but if it doesn’t help - you have bigger problems.

Enjoy!

hey kids, it’s been a while. sorry for the wait, momma’s been getting her education on. here’s a little something to sate your hunger a bit - “holiday” spiced pears. it’s a spin on a recipe my mom’s been making for a couple of years now. actually, i think it was when i first went vegan that she wanted to make something for the holidays that i could enjoy with the whole family (isn’t she sweet?), and clipped this out of a Sunset, and a new tradition was born.

the original recipe calls for apple cider vinegar, a ton of sugar, and your basic holiday spices - but instead, i’ve used TJ’s Spicy Cider. it’s got essentially the same stuff! after some experimentation, though, i’ll admit it needs a little spicing up. so i’d suggest adding about a tablespoon of either TJ’s pumpkin pie spice blend (or whatever you have around), or 1/4 tsp each of ginger and cinnamon, and 1/8 tsp of cloves to the cider before pouring it on. but i digress. here’s what i came up with last night - enjoy!

you’ll need:
4 firm-ripe pears
1 cup of fresh cranberries
1/2 medium or 1 small lemon, rinsed well and sliced very thin
1 to 1 1/2 cups spicy cider

pre-heat oven to 350. rinse and peel the pears (i know, i know, losing nutrients. eat the skin here if you feel like it, live a little). rinse and pick through the cranberries for any bruised or yucky ones, and toss any stems. it took me probably a good cup and a half to get a solid cup.

cut the pears in half (or quarters if you so wish) and arrange at the bottom of a 2 - 2 1/2 quart baking dish. pour the spicy cider over the fruit - it doesn’t have to be covered, but it should be sorta swimming in it.

cover the dish tightly with foil and park that sucker in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour, until the pears are really tender (easy to slice with a fork). be careful when you lift up the foil, because that stuff’s boiling and the steam can be pretty hot.

that’s it. seriously. i know, right? too easy. i love bringing this dish to last-minute potlucks, because it’s so brainless.

enjoy!

scrambled tofu is a beautiful thing. at least, it can be. i can’t say that i’ve had any that rivals mine. it’s so easy to make, and yet i find that most of my vegan cookbooks don’t have a recipe. it’s so basic! it seems complicated, but it’s really not at all. one of my favorite things to do with it is add it to some soyrizo, because i grew up on the (non-vegan) stuff. this is not one of my healthier recipes, so be warned. but it does make a lot of really tasty food. when i was told (not asked) that i’d be making a vegan meal for my culinary arts class last year, this was the dish that i served. all of my classmates were a bit unenthused to try vegan eats, and i heard some whispers about it probably being gross and such. by the end of the class, they had eaten every last speck of it and several of them asked me for the recipe. it’s my secret weapon when it comes to feeding carnivores.

for a basic tofu scramble, you’ll need:

1 brick of extra-firm tofu (tj’s high protein is my favorite ever. it’s so thick and has the most amazing texture and taste. that’s what she said.)
2-3 tbs high-heat cooking oil - canola, grapeseed, etc.
about 1 small or 1/2 of one large red bell pepper
1/2 medium onion
3-4 cloves garlic
turmeric (a ton)
cayenne, paprika, cumin - a dash of each, maybe 1/2 a teaspoon

in a large bowl, mash the crap out of the tofu. i like to slice a bit of it up randomly into manageable pieces. this tofu is really, really firm so it takes some work. i usually use a potato masher to get the job done.

add the turmeric, and go really heavy on it. you want this stuff nice and yellow. it adds some great taste, too. when you think you’ve added enough, add more. i’m serious. i’ve never measured it, but i know i go through it faster than any of my other spices. add a dash of each of cumin and cayenne, and maybe some paprika if you’re feeling fancy. i like to add a little fresh salt and pepper too. dice the garlic, chop the onion and bell pepper and mix in with the tofu. it should look something like this.

use a big ol’ skillet for this bad boy, and add your oil. turn the heat up to medium high.

i never said this dish was healthy.

you can fry that sucker up until the tofu turns a golden yellow for your basic tofu scramble. however, if you’re going to be cooking with soyrizo, i recommend cooking the soyrizo on its own for a while until it’s almost done. the package instructions say “quick fry over high heat” and this is LIE. nothing is quick about cooking soyrizo. anyway, i recommend starting the stuff on the skillet as you being mixing up your scrambled tofu. slice open the tube (eww) and spread it apart with a plastic spatula or some other utensil that won’t harm your nonstick skillet. you’ll want it to be nice and crumbly and brown all over. it takes a keen eye to know just when to stir it and turn the heat down. don’t worry, some of it’s going to burn. luckily it still tastes good when this happens. i’ve never been able to perfectly cook the stuff, but as long as you keep an eye on it it’ll come out tasty.

tell me this doesn’t look appetizing.

let this cook until it’s much darker in color and then add the tofu when it’s just barely done. the tofu only takes a few minutes to cook, maybe 5 at the most. you can add a little more oil if you need to.

and that’s it! once the tofu’s gotten a deeper yellow, it’s done. i like this best with refried beans and mexican rice (that’s another blog) in a whole wheat tortilla, or on a tostada shell with fresh pico de gallo and lettuce and some grated soy cheese. it’s murder on my stomach and definitely a grease fest, but oh lord is it worth it.

this dish is dedicated to a friend of mine, chewy.

my mom makes the BEST enchiladas. so greasy, so delicious! whether it was green chile and chicken or red sauce and cheese, enchilada night was always a special one in our household. it’s still a special night in mine these days, however, instead of chicken and cheese, i use much fresher and healthier ingredients. it takes about 10 minutes to put together and is sooo satisfying.

you’ll need:

1 package of corn tortillas (i ended up using 9 regular sized yellow corn tortillas in a large glass baking dish)
1 can of TJ’s mexican red sauce (NOT the enchilada sauce - that stuff has chicken fat and broth in it!)
1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen or fresh yellow corn kernels
1 small can of tomato paste
3-4 stalks of fresh green onions
1/2 a bunch of fresh cilantro
3-4 cloves fresh garlic
spices to taste - cayenne, cumin, paprika, oregano

garnish - vegan sour cream, hot sauce, black olive slices

preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

chop the onions, cilantro, and garlic, and mix in a large bowl with beans, corn, spices, and tomato paste until well incorporated. pour about half of the bottle of red sauce into a shallow dish, along with an equal amount of water. lightly brush a layer of this along the bottom of your baking dish. one by one, dip the tortillas in the sauce and water until covered, then place in the pan and fill with 2 or 3 spoonfuls of the bean filling. it helps if you close them up with toothpicks or skewers, but if you place them in the pan correctly they hold each other together. i find it helpful to sort of crease the tortillas along the spots that i want them to fold.

when you’ve filled your pan, pour the rest of the bottle of sauce over the whole thing (along with any leftover sauce & water). distribute it as evenly as you can with a spoon or brush.

just let it bake for about 30-35 minutes, and that’s it! seriously! they’re done when the edges are a little crispy (but not burnt).

serve with a dollop (i love that word. dollop!) of vegan sour cream and hot sauce. i usually put some sliced olives in there too, but i’m out right now. damnit.

mmm. makes great leftovers, too!

i love me some pad thai. i love stir-fry and red curry in anything, but it’s hard to find a thai or indian restaurant that understands what “vegan” means. no matter how much i’ve tried to communicate “no eggs, no fish oil,” there’s almost always something left in there. oh well, no matter - i’ve taught myself through trial and error how to make a yummy coconut curry stir-fry that makes yummy healthy leftovers for days.

you’ll need:
1 package of tempeh (tofu works okay in this recipe but takes longer to cook because you’re not cooking at super high heat)
1 package of fresh or frozen veggies of your choice - i like TJ’s organic blend and i usually add peas and corn to it
1/2 can light coconut milk
fresh ginger
fresh garlic
green onions
rice noodles (or carbohydrate of your choice, e.g. brown rice)
unsalted peanuts (optional)
red curry paste (optional - if you like insane heat)
toasted sesame oil (optional - has a very strong flavor!)
cooking oil (grapeseed is my fave but sesame cooking oil is good for this, just watch to make sure you don’t overcook it)

note the omission of curry powder.

curry powder sucks.

i bought a bottle of it once, long ago, and was very unimpressed with it. it wasn’t hot at all! it was practically all turmeric, and hell, i have turmeric in my spice collection! so i looked at the back of the bottle. turmeric, garlic, onion, cayenne, cloves, nutmeg, paprika…well jeez, i have almost all of these individually, so i might as well buy the others, like coriander, and make it to my liking.

the thing i’ve found cooking over the last few years is that some of my best recipes come out of experimentation, especially this one - i just pulled it out of the air and made what smelled and tasted good to me. and now i make it all the time! but the key to being able to experiment is having the right equipment. i get asked all the time by people just learning to cook, “how do you come up with what to make for dinner every night?” i always answer, “shop for fresh produce several times a week and keep a stocked pantry.” if you always have certain things on hand (a wide variety of spices, canned tomatoes, canned beans, soups, vegetable broth, nuts, rice, noodles, etc.), it’s easy to mix this with that and come up with something fantastic. of course it’s also easy to go overboard and buy too much food, but if you plan out your meals well in advance (you sort of have to do this anyway if you’re vegan), then you won’t end up wasting anything. it saves you money in the long run, too. anyway, back to cooking!

i know this looks like a ton of spices - and it is - but they’re all very versatile and you’ll use them in other recipes, so it’s worth it. you can stick with curry powder if you want, but remember: curry powder sucks.

i also like to have a jar of red curry paste on hand, but keep in mind this is EXTREMELY hot. once while making coconut soup i added twice the recommended amount, thinking that the recipe was made for wusses and i could totally handle it. big mistake. i had to add twice the amount of everything else to make up for it! seriously, use maybe a teaspoon of this stuff at the most.

from here, dice your garlic and onions and peel and dice your ginger. i find that the tempeh takes up a lot more flavor if you use fresh ingredients, but you can use dry spices if necessary. heat a tablespoon or so of your oil to medium and sautee the garlic, onions and ginger until they’re sweated a bit. at this point, add the tempeh and get ready to start spicin’. go heavy on the turmeric, and lighter on everything else - i like to go a little overboard with the cayenne, but that’s me. paprika, nutmeg (freshly ground is best but we can’t all be alton brown), coriander, cloves…just add them bit by bit until it smells right. this usually is a LOT, so don’t worry if you feel like you’re adding too much. you can always balance it out with the other spices. this is a good point to add your red curry paste, too. be careful. stir it around so it gets well-incorporated and try not to get any on your fingers. (rubbing your eyes for any reason is not a good idea in the near future.) stir-fry until the tempeh is browned.

meanwhile, cook your pasta in a separate pot to your liking. i like TJ’s Rice Sticks, but this stuff is great over rice, too.

at this point, you might want to add another tablespoon of oil, and then add your veggies. be careful if they’re frozen, and add them on top of the tempeh so that they don’t splatter too much in the oil.

cook the veggies and tempeh until heated throughout and slightly browned, stirring often. i usually add a little more of each spice just to make sure the veggies are coated too. at this point, turn the heat down to low and add the coconut milk. let it cook down for 5-10 minutes, and stir often.

i used to hate all things coconut. that was before i tasted real coconut. the stuff you’re used to in cheap trail mixes and smoothies is uber-sweetened and usually enhanced with artificial flavor - it’s horrific what the food industry has done to that tropical treasure. try a fresh coconut (have fun getting it open) and you’ll see what i mean. coconut milk is very high in saturated fat, so i like to buy the light to save a little calorie-wise. i really like Thai Kitchen’s organic lite - it’s much creamier than other brands i’ve found. save the other half of the can for smoothies, or coconut soup. if you don’t chug it immediately, that is.

nom nom nom

when it’s reduced to the consistency you want it, turn off the heat and make sure your pasta’s the firmness you want it. drain it. you can toss it with a little toasted sesame oil here, but beware the intense flavor.

serve veggies and tempeh over pasta and add peanuts. i like it with a little sweet-hot chili sauce or soy sauce, but it’s got a lot of flavor on its own too. this stuff’s even better the next day. it makes about 3 or 4 servings.

you can leave out the coconut milk if you’re really watching your calories, and it’s still delish. if you want to cook this with tofu, i suggest medium to extra firm, depending on your preference. just make sure you give it plenty of time to cook before adding the veggies. it’s versatile, too - you can add thai chiles (if you’re INSANE), mushrooms (blecch), sesame seeds, lemongrass, even TJ’s thai lime & chile cashews or peanuts as a topping! enjoy!

i’ve been really busy lately what with the end of the school semester and working more hours, so i haven’t had much time to cook. here are a couple of quick and easy recipes that i’ve come up with through trial and error (and more error, then more trial) in the kitch’.

Uh-oh, Spaghetti-abcs

i adored spaghettiOs as a kid. i couldn’t stand anything chef boyardee - it had to be the original pasta in cheese sauce. occasionally the Garfield or Where’s Waldo? shapes were acceptable. i think it started at my babysitter’s house. ah, Maria was the best. she’d serve everything with chocolate milk. spaghettios, spanish rice, pan dulce…man i miss that lady. anyway, i know they’re ridiculously high in sodium and devoid of nutritional content, but i still pine for that mild and delicious childhood comfort food. i’ve made a recipe of my own that comes pretty close to the original, and it’s pretty easy to make. enjoy!

you’ll need:
2 cups of tomato juice - i prefer lakewood organics because it’s about the only one i can find that has absolutely no salt added to it. trust me, you don’t want one with salt added in this recipe. it’d be too much.
about 1/2 a block of FYH vegan cheddar cheese
1 cup of vegetable broth
1/2 cup of small pasta - i like Eden’s multigrain alphabet pasta. if loving little pasta letters makes me immature, so be it
1/2 cup (to taste) plain soymilk
1-2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

in a large saucepan, heat the oil to medium-low and sautee the garlic until just sweated. meanwhile, slice or shred the cheese into manageable pieces. (it’ll melt either way.) when the garlic’s nice and glisten-y, add the tomato sauce and cheese and turn the heat up to medium-high. make sure to stir it often so the cheese melts and doesn’t scorch at all.

in another saucepan, heat a cup of water and one cup of vegetable broth to boiling. i like to get these little single-use containers because if i get a quart of it i’ll never use it all before it goes bad.

good stuff.

nice action shot, huh? man i need to clean my stove.

stir the pasta often and only cook it until barely tender. at this point you can add some soymilk to your soup to make it a little creamier. i like plain unsweetened soymilk for this because it doesn’t overpower anything or drive the calorie count too high.

when the pasta’s tender, drain it (but don’t rinse!) and add it to the soup. reduce heat a little and simmer just a little more if you want, or serve right away with crackers and veggies. mmmm, spaghetti-abcs.

Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch…

one thing that i hear a lot of vegans whine for is ranch dressing. i never was a huge fan of the stuff until some Oregonian cousins of mine introduced me to dipping pizza in it, of all things. if you’ve never tried this, you probably think it’s gross, but just fyi you also HAVEN’T LIVED. it’s the only way i’ll eat pizza now. i make french bread pizzas all the time, and i have to have my vegan ranch to go with it. it’s really easy to make, and you’ll want to always have some of this stuff in your ‘fridge for dipping veggies and just about everything else.

you’ll need:
a few plops (this is very scientific) of vegan sour cream
1 or 2 tbs apple cider vinegar
spices to taste:
dill (essential)
garlic or garlic salt
“salad herbs” mix (usually dill, garlic, onion, chives, etc)

from here, place the sour cream (i use toffutti non-hydrogenated but any brand works well, or make your own) in a bowl and add vinegar little by little, stirring to make sure you don’t add too much. if the stuff gets too liquid, it won’t have the right consistency and will taste too tangy. best to start with little amounts of it and add more or less of either vinegar or sour cream until you’ve got the taste you want. add dill, and go heavy with it! do the same with garlic - i like to use both garlic powder and garlic salt. if you use just garlic salt it’ll be wayyyy too salty, whereas you need just a pinch of it anyway. if you’ve got both around, go for it. if not, just use garlic and add a dash of sea salt to taste.

and that’s it! serve however you want. i like to make it in a recloseable container to save my leftovers (assuming you have any). it goes great with Follow Your Heart’s friday night deep dish special.

PROBLEM: An overabundance of random vegetables in the refrigerator and a very empty stomach.

HYPOTHESIS: Combining said veggies with spices and dressings and encasing products in a flatbread wrap will lead to yumminess and satisfaction.

MATERIALS:

1 cucumber
1/2 medium red bell pepper
2-3 stalks of celery
1/2 medium onion (hey, how about the half left over from the artichoke recipe? GENIUS!)
1/2 ripe avocado
1 dill pickle
fresh spinach leaves
veggie lunch meat of your choice (Tofurky Deli Slices are quite suitable, other brands work as well.)
2 tbs yellow or deli mustard
1/3 cup Vegenaise
1 1/2 tsp dill
1 tbs garlic powder
1 tsp seasoned salt
dash apple cider vinegar
tortillas (whole wheat, sprouted wheat, and brown rice varieties are all acceptable)
vegan cheese slices

PROCEDURE:

Chop all vegetables (and fruits, for accuracy’s sake) and pickle into medium-small pieces and place in a medium bowl. Add vegenaise, mustard, spices, and vinegar and combine well. Adjust seasoning to taste. Practice lab safety measures at all times.

Spread filling on flatbread/wrap of your choice, lined with spinach leaves, veggie deli slices and vegan cheese slices. Consume with vegetable root chips.

DATA:

Upon combination, vegetables and spices take on an enticing aroma, however, appear less than appetizing. Researchers are doubtful of its level of numminess.

CONCLUSION: Despite fears of brutal breath, researchers partook in wrap consumption and were highly pleased with results. The cool and crisp filling proved satisfying yet light enough to be a perfect summertime dish. Researchers hypothesized that the products could be formed with many different reactants, and that variation of the formula could be very beneficial. Possible materials include curry powder, jalepenos, lime juice and rind, diced and steamed tempeh, sprouts, hummus, vegan cream cheese, and much more. Researchers feel confident concluding that this recipe, er, experiment’s results are easily repeatable and will be greatly appreciated in the scientific community.

when you hear “collard greens,” i bet the first thing that comes to mind is the traditional southern side of cooked-to-death bitter green lifeless mush that’s been boiled with a smoked ham hock for hours. grossss. the scent of collards always makes my atlanta-born boyfriend salivate, but it makes me dry heave. i guess it’s a southern thing. collard greens are a pretty ancient member of the cabbage family - they sort of look prehistoric, don’t they? they’re such nutritional powerhouses that i couldn’t resist trying to dress them up a little for my own purposes. Simply Vegan, a great book, has a recipe for collards and tomatoes - but i was disappointed. it was sort of bland. so after a little tinkering, i came up with this, and now i make it all the time. the southern man was actually a big fan of this recipe - he even said he liked it almost as much as regular collards. wow.

1 bunch collard greens (look for full, dark leaves without wilting or yellowing)
3 large ripe tomatoes OR 1 can diced tomatoes (any kind - try to go for no salt added. muir glen makes some fire-roasted diced tomatoes that are fantastic in this dish)
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
5-10 leaves fresh basil
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
4-6 cloves garlic
1/2 medium onion
4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tbs vinegar (any kind - balsamic, apple cider, etc. i use sherry vinegar because i have it around.)
Bragg’s Liquid Aminos
Nutritional Yeast

to prepare the collards, give them a good rinse and then carefully remove the stalk. you can rip it out, but cutting it is a lot easier. don’t worry, you don’t lose too many nutrients here, but you do take out a lot of the bitterness. that’s a good thing! besides, you couldn’t digest that much cellulose unless you were a cow on Beano.

chop the collards into bite-size (think a piece of romaine in a salad) pieces, soak and rinse well. make sure you dry them thoroughly.

dice the onions and mince the garlic, and saute in the olive oil over medium heat. when sweated, add basil, spices, and collards and let cook until the greens begin to wilt slightly. it may seem like a lot at first, but it’ll cook down considerably.

when the collards have wilted (you may want to add more olive oil at this point), add the tomatoes and garbanzos. you’ll want the tomatoes to cook just until their skins begin to pucker. stir often to get the garbanzos heated throughout.

and that’s it! serve warm, heavily doused in Bragg’s Liquid Aminos and sprinkled with nutritional yeast. anything crunchy is good on this, too - roasted garlic crumbles, dehydrated veggies, veggie bacon bits, etc. shown here with cheesy garlic bread.

this makes great leftovers and is a very unexpected side without the garbanzos, but the addition of the beans makes it a great meal. enjoy!

if you’re like me, you love artichokes. and if you’re really like me, you’re accident-prone. if you are me, you once tried to take an online quiz for a class while steaming an artichoke on the stove and didn’t notice the flames reaching up the side of your best steel pot and potholder until your boyfriend ran downstairs yelling, what’s that smell? then you both looked in the kitchen and screamed, then he grabbed said potholder and tossed it outside, then poured water on it. then laughed at you about it for about a week. i wish i was making this up.

anyway, i love artichokes in pretty much any form, so i’m a big fan of TJ’s Artichoke Antipasto.

i’ve constructed a really ridiculously easy dish with this sauce and tempeh that makes a great main dish or even a yummy side. it’s good cold, too!

you’ll need:
1 jar of artichoke antipasto
1 package of tempeh (any brand will do)
1/2 medium onion
4 cloves garlic
6-10 leaves fresh basil, rinsed and roughly chopped
3-4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
cooked pasta of your choice (i prefer the whole wheat rotelle. you really only need to cook half the package, because it makes what i call “pasta for days.” )

chop your onion and garlic to a medium dice. cube the tempeh, then cut those cubes in half to make it go a little farther.

it’s important to have good help in the kitchen.

in a large saute pan, heat the oil to medium and add garlic and onions. carefully “sweat” them until juicy and aromatic, but not burned. adding a dash of kosher salt can help this process. when they look good and ready, add the tempeh and basil and saute until lightly browned, stirring occasionally. keep the heat on the low side here so you don’t burn the garlic and onion! meanwhile, cook your pasta in a large pot.

when your tempeh’s good and browned, turn the heat down to low and add the artichoke antipasto. at this point you really just need to get it heated throughout, so again be careful not to burn anything.

when your pasta’s done, drain it and return it to the pot. add your tempeh and antipasto and stir together. that’s it! it might not look pretty, but trust me, it’s delish.

i love having this dish with a little bit of roasted garlic crumbles on top, and heavily doused with Bragg’s Liquid Aminos (available at most health food stores).

it’s so easy to make, and makes leftovers for at least a day or two. like i said, it’s good cold as well, so it’s a great next-day lunch. enjoy!