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1½ cups quinoa
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 medium head cauliflower, broken into small florets
1 cup chopped carrots
¾ cup diced red onions
1 head garlic, roasted, cloves squeezed out
1 large egg
2 tablespoons cornmeal, preferably coarse-ground
1 teaspoon salt
black pepper, to taste
½ cup chopped parsley
Zest of one lemon

Place the quinoa in a saucepan with 2 ¼ cups cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 12-13 minutes.

Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium hat in a large skillet. Add the cauliflower, carrots and onions, and ¼ cup water. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Uncover and cook, stirring, for five minutes.

In a food processor, puree the cauliflower, carrots, roasted garlic, egg, cornmeal, salt and pepper until mostly smooth. Mix with the cooked quinoa, parsley and lemon zest. Form into patties and place on a plate in the refrigerator for one hour or up to 12 hours.

Heat one tablespoon of oil over medium-high in a large skillet. Fry the patties for several minutes on each side, until golden. Add more oil to the skillet as needed for additional batches.
Serves 6-8

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2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 serrano peppers, diced
2 carrots, chopped  (about 1½ cups)
2 stalks celery (about 1 cup)
2 medium onions chopped
1 poblano pepper, roasted, peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch ground coriander
1 teaspoon chili powder, preferably ancho
1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder or ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed (about 7-8 cups)
8 cups vegetable stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the cashew cream topping:
1 cup raw cashews, soaked overnight or for at least a few hours
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
½ cup water
Pinch salt

Drain the cashews and place them in a food processor with lemon juice, water and salt. Process until very smooth (this will take about 5 minutes with a regular food processor). Season with salt to taste.

Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a heavy pot. Saute the garlic, serranos, carrots, celery and onions for 4 minutes. Add the roasted poblanos and spices and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.
Add the butternut squash and stock. Bring to a boil. Partially cover, reduce heat and simmer until the squash is quite tender, about 30-40 minutes. Let cool for 20 minutes then puree in a food processor or blender until very smooth (a blender will give you a smoother result). Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Serve with a dollop of cashew cream.

Serves 6

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1¾ cups dried pinto (or Sangre de Toro or Rio Zape) beans, soaked overnight or quick-soaked
2 links Field Roast chipotle vegetarian sausages, crumbled
1 teaspoon + 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or organic canola oil
1 large green bell pepper diced
1 large yellow or white onion, diced
3 large cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons ancho chile powder
2 tablespoons hot or mild New Mexico chile powder
2 teaspoons chipotle powder
½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 26-oz carton Pomi chopped tomatoes or Muir Glen canned crushed tomatoes*
12-ounce bottle chocolate stout beer
1 tablespoon instant espresso powder
2 teaspoons molasses (or substitute brown sugar)
1½ ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly-squeezed lime juice
Cooked brown rice (optional)

Toppings: Avocado, red onions, cilantro, yogurt or sour cream (soy or regular)

Drain the soaked beans, then place in a large saucepan and cover well with fresh cold water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until tender, about 1 hour, adding water as necessary. Let them sit until you’re ready to use them, then drain, reserving the cooking liquid.

Heat a teaspoon of oil on medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed pot. Add the crumbled vegetarian sausages and cook for 3 minutes, stirring a few times (it will stick; it’s ok). Remove to a plate.

Heat the remaining oil on medium heat in the same pot. Add the onions, garlic and peppers. Cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pot to incorporate the sausage remnants that stuck to the pan. Add the tomato paste, chili powders, cumin, coriander, oregano, salt and pepper. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the tomatoes, beer, espresso powder and brown sugar or molasses. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the reserved vegetarian sausage and beans and simmer very gently for 10 minutes. If the chili seems much too thick, add a little of the bean cooking liquid. Stir in chocolate and lime and turn off the heat.

Serve on cooked brown rice with your toppings of choice, or refrigerate and serve the next day, when it’s even better.

* I recommend Pomi tomatoes in tetra packs, or Muir Glen tomatoes, as their cans no longer contain BPA.

Serves 6-8

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1¼ cups French green lentils
½ cup chopped roasted red peppers
½ cup sliced pitted kalamata olives
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
1/3 cup chopped raw almonds, toasted
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt, or more to taste (I like flaky Maldon salt here, rubbed between your hands)
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Rinse the lentils thoroughly. Put them in a saucepan and cover with cold water by a few inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the lentils are cooked but still nicely chewy (you don’t want mushy lentils.)

Drain the lentils and place in a serving bowl along with the red peppers, olives, parsley, dill and almonds. Gently stir in the red wine vinegar and let sit for a few minutes. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper. Serve warm or refrigerate for several hours and bring to room temperature before serving.

Serves 4

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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 onion and chard topping:

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 large yellow onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 large or 2 small bunches Swiss chard or lacinato (a.k.a. dinosaur) kale, center stems removed, leaves chopped
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

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 several 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 the olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven. Cook the onions and salt over low heat for 45 minutes to one hour, until golden and soft. Add the greens and cook until tender, about 4-8 minutes (kale will take longer than chard). Drain off any excess liquid. (Alternatively, just mix in a cup or so of previously-cooked greens.) Stir in the balsamic vinegar.

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 (add an additional teaspoon of water if the dough seems too dry.)

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 pastry by slipping a pastry lifter or metal spatula underneath. Fold in half and carefully transfer to the tart pan, pressing it into the bottom and sides.  Trim off any excess.

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 onion and greens mixture.  Return to the oven and bake for 20 minutes longer. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves 6

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9-10 cups peeled, cubed root vegetables (any combination of carrots, sweet potatoes, winter squash, turnips, parsnips, rutabagas, brussels sprouts or beets)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse or flaky salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
2 tablespoons pomegranate molasses (if you can’t find it, make your own)
1 tablespoon maple syrup or agave nectar
2 cups quinoa, rinsed well if not the pre-rinsed variety
3 cups water
1 cup nonfat or soy yogurt (regular, not Greek)
1 tablespoon fresh dill
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1/4 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon salt

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

In a small bowl or a cup, combine the pomegranate molasses and maple syrup and set aside.

Mix the vegetables and olive oil in a bowl. Spread on two large cookie sheets, and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 20 minutes, then turn the vegetables and drizzle with the pomegranate and maple mixture. Roast for 25-30 minutes more, until vegetables and tender and nicely browned.

Place the quinoa and water in a medium saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 12-15 minutes. Let it sit for a couple minutes, then fluff with a fork and remove to a serving platter.

Combine the yogurt, dill, horseradish, lemon zest and 1/4 teaspoon salt.

Spoon the vegetables over the quinoa, and drizzle with the yogurt-dill sauce.

Serves 6

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4 small cooked, peeled beets, cut into wedges (see note above)
1 large navel orange
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
1/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted, skinned and very roughly chopped
1 large Hass avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar or lemon juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 ounces baby arugula

Zest the orange and set the zest aside. Cut the top and bottom off the orange and cut off the peel, making sure to cut off all the white part.  Slice the orange crosswise into slices, then cut each slice in half.

In a medium bowl, combine the vinegar or lemon juice, Dijon mustard and orange zest. Whisk in the olive oil. Toss most of the dressing with the arugula, onion and beets, and place on a serving platter. Top with the orange slices, avocado and hazelnuts. Drizzle with the remaining dressing.

Serves 4 as a side dish

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1 teaspoon chili powder, preferably ancho (if you use a regular supermarket chili powder, cut down the cumin below)
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or more to taste
3/4 cup pecans
3/4 cup raw almonds
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
½ cup raw pistachios
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons agave nectar
½ teaspoon coarse salt (I like Maldon sea salt on these)

Heat the oven to 325 degrees.

Mix the spices in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix the olive oil and agave.

Spread the nuts on a large baking sheet and roast for about 12 minutes, until they start to get toasty and aromatic.  Watch them carefully to make sure they don’t burn.

Remove to a bowl and toss with the olive oil mixture, stirring well. Add the spices and stir briefly. Return to the tray and roast for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from the oven, sprinkle with salt to taste and cool before serving.

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Mint Chocolate Thins
Adapted from Eat, Drink & Be Vegan

1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon organic sugar, divided
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup agave nectar
1 T. almond milk (can substitute dairy milk)
2 teaspoons peppermint extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
Rounded ¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
3.5 ounces 70% or 72% dark chocolate, chopped into small chunks

Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk together the oil, ½ cup sugar, maple syrup, agave, milk and extracts.  In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients and mix well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir just until combined. Gently mix in the dark chocolate.

Drop by rounded teaspoonful onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with a little of the additional sugar. Bake 11 minutes (don’t worry if they don’t look done – they flatten and harden after coming out of the oven). Cool for 2-3 minutes, then transfer to a rack.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies