At first glance, this Shepherd’s Pie might look like any other.  It’s not.  And that’s not just because it’s vegan.  What makes it even more special is that it’s made with roasted vegetables.  The flavor is like a million times more intense than if it had been made with steamed veggies.  Instead of the usual corn, carrots, and green peas, among the vegetables featured in this pan of goodness are red onion, a variety of sweet peppers, green beans, mushrooms, and zucchini.

While the vegetables were roasting I made some quick mushroom gravy and added some reconstituted soy curls, which I then added to the roasted vegetables.

I then topped it with a batch of mashers and sprinkled it with a little smoked paprika and nutritional yeast and a very light mist of olive oil.  As it was baking, the fragrance was driving us mad, so I served it soon after it came out of the oven (as shown at the top of this post).  I had wanted to take a photo of a portion on a plate, but once we started eating, I totally forgot about taking pictures.  It was THAT good!

Because you asked for it…. I wrote up a recipe for this Shepherd’s Pie, even though when I made it, I didn’t use a recipe.  Feel free to mix and match the vegetables (I would have added corn kernels and peas, for example, if I had them on hand, so I included them in the recipe).  The bell peppers were a spur of the moment addition — if you don’t like them, don’t use them.  Same goes for soy curls:  use cooked lentils or chopped seitan instead, if you prefer.  This is a very versatile recipe, so have fun with it!

Roasted Shepherd’s Pie

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 or 2 red or yellow bell pepper, chopped (optional)

1 1/2 cups chopped white mushrooms or zucchini (or both)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup cooked green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup fresh or thawed frozen corn kernels

1 cup thawed frozen peas

3 to 4 large Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled and diced

1 tablespoon vegan butter

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried
1 teaspoon minced fresh marjoram or 1/2 teaspoon dried

2 cups reconstituted chopped soy curls, chopped seitan, or cooked lentils

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Lightly oil a 9- x 13-baking dish.

Spread the onion, carrot, bell peppers (if using), and mushrooms in the prepared baking dish. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Roast until the vegetables are just tender, stirring to cook evenly, about 30 minutes. During the last 5 minutes or so of roasting, add the cooked green beans, corn, and peas. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F.

While the vegetables are roasting, cook the potatoes in a pot of  boiling salted water until tender.  Drain well, then return to the pot.  Add the butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Mash well, then set aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of  oil in a saucepan over medium heat.  Add the flour and cook, stirring for 30 seconds.  Stir in the broth, soy sauce, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper to taste. Continue to cook, stirring, until the sauce thickens, about 3 minutes.  Stir in the soy curls and set aside.

When the roasted vegetables are cooked, remove the pan from the oven and add the soy curls and gravy, mixing gently to combine. Spread the mashed potatoes evenly over the filling. Bake until hot and bubbly,  about 30 minutes.
Serves 8

I got an early Mother’s Day gift this year: Jon took this beautiful photo of our newly adopted daughter, Margaret.  Doesn’t she look pretty posing with a vase of lilacs from my favorite lilac bush?

Mother’s Day is always doubly special for me because that’s when we celebrate Gary’s birthday!  He’ll be 11 years old this year.  Such a handsome boy!

On Mother’s Day I also like to think about our mother Earth (or  “Mother Nature”) — and all of its beauty, specially the wonderful animals.  This year, its great to have beautiful music to listen to as I reflect.  I’m talking about Daniel Redwood’s new album, Songs for Animals, People, and the Earth.  It’s a truly lovely and powerful collection of songs — an inspiring and compassionate soundtrack for the animals and people who love them.  To hear a sample of Daniel’s beautiful album, visit his website.

If you’re planning to cook something special on Mother’s Day, consider cooking from Nut Butter Universe to make a special brunch or dinner (or maybe a batch of Chocolate Macadamia Truffles with Coconut???).  BTW…there’s a giveaway going on right now on the Vegan Heritage Press blog to win a copy of Nut Butter Universe — so if you don’t have a copy yet (or even if you do!) enter now to win!

Here’s another fun dish I made recently (along with a nice picatta and roasted baby potatoes).  This whole Roasted Cauliflower topped with Cheesy Sunflower Sauce, is a tasty way to “say it with flowers” on Mother’s Day!

Here’s the recipe:

 Roasted Cauliflower with Cheesy Sunflower Sauce

1 head cauliflower, trimmed and cored

2 teaspoons olive oil

Pinch of salt, black pepper, and paprika

Cheesy Sunflower Sauce:

1 roasted yellow bell pepper, chopped

1/3 cup sunflower seeds, soaked for 4 hours and drained

1/4 cup plain unsweetened almond milk

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup nutritional yeast

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

Garnish:

2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley or dill

Cauliflower:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the head of cauliflower, cut-side down, in a large baking dish with about 1 inch of water. Rub the cauliflower with the oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cover tightly and bake for 20 to 30 minutes. Uncover and increase the heat to 425 degrees and roast for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until tender when pierced with a knife or fork.

Sauce:

While the cauliflower is roasting, combine bell pepper, soaked and drained seeds, almond milk, lemon juice, mustard, and salt in a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. Add the nutritional yeast, liquid smoke, and paprika, and blend again until completely smooth.

To serve:

Arrange the cauliflower on a platter, spoon the sauce over top, and sprinkle with parsley or dill.  Serve hot.

One of the best parts of being a food writer is having the opportunity to try out new products as they become available.  It’s even more fun when I’m impressed enough with the product to write a blog post about it.  I had the recent good fortune of sampling two such products: Beyond Meat Chicken-Free Strips and Nasoya Vegan Nayonaise (now creamier and with a new look).

In my ongoing quest to make banh mi in as many different ways as I can dream up, I had been wanting to make Banh Mi Fajitas featuring a creamy sriracha-cilantro slaw.  When I received the Beyond Meat strips and the Nayonaise within days of each other, I knew what I had to do!

First, I’ve got to tell you that the Beyond Meat strips are by far the BEST, tastiest, most wonderfully textured and flavored protein-delivery food (I don’t like using the phrase “meat alternative”) I’ve ever had.  They are seriously better than any other commercial product and better than the best homemade seitan, hands down.  What’s most amazing to me is that somehow the brilliant people at Beyond Meat were able to develop such a superior product that also happens to be gluten-free.  That, in itself, is an amazing gift to gluten-sensitive people everywhere.  The strips also happen to be very high in protein and easy to use in countless recipes.  All I can say is, “Wow.”

The strips browned up nicely and, for my purposes, I doused them with a hoisin-tamari mixture while cooking and then set them aside (after sampling a few pieces, of course).

For the slaw, I made a sauce by combining the new creamy Nayonaise (extremely flavorful and with a great texture) with cilantro, rice vinegar, and sriracha. Tossed with shredded cabbage and carrot, the crunchy slaw tasted fabulous on its own, but I knew it would be even better in the Banh Mi Fajitas — because, well, things go better with banh mi!  And these fajitas are so simply to make: just spread a little Nayonaise and (extra sriracha!) on a tortilla or wrap, line up a few of the Beyond Meat strips, top with the slaw, and roll up!

In honor of  Earth Day, I’m sharing a recipe for Earth Day Vegetable Soup.  The multitude of vegetables in the soup are meant to signify earth’s bounty and the soup is made in a slow cooker to save energy. 

The recipe is an adaptation of Summer Vegetable Soup from Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker.  As that recipe states, you can vary the vegetables according to personal preference and what’s on hand or in season – so that’s what I did.  So that all the vegetables are done cooking at the same time, I start the soup with the harder vegetables so they cook longer and then I add the more delicate vegetables later.  I also added some carrot juice and a teaspoon of extra-virgin olive oil just before serving to enrich the broth. When you add fresh tomatoes and herbs just before serving, the soup tastes like it came right from the garden. So fresh and delicious!  

Here’s a photo of Petey “helping” with the photography, and below is the recipe.  Happy Earth Day!

Earth Day Vegetable Soup

Fresh asparagus or zucchini also make good additions.  If you have some fresh dill or tarragon on hand, add a tablespoon or two when you’re ready to serve the soup. For a heartier soup, add more beans and some cooked brown rice or quinoa close to serving time.

1 large yellow onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 carrots, chopped

1 celery rib, chopped

3 small red potatoes, diced

1/2 cup chopped red, yellow, or orange bell pepper

6 cups vegetable broth

1 or 2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon minced fresh or dried marjoram

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 ounces green beans, ends trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups cooked or one 15-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 small yellow summer squash, diced

4 cups chopped fresh spinach or chard

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

1/2 cup fresh carrot juice (optional)

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, bell pepper, and broth. Add the bay leaves and marjoram and season with salt and pepper to taste.  The amount of salt needed will depend on the saltiness of your broth.  Cover and cook on High for 3 hours.

Add the green beans, white beans, and yellow squash. Cook for 1 hour longer, or until the green beans are just tender.   

About 10 minutes before serving time, remove the bay leaves and stir in the spinach, tomatoes, and carrot juice and olive oil, if using.  Just before serving, stir in the fresh herbs. Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve hot.

Serves 4 to 6

Lately, I’ve been obsessed with a cake. Okay, make that two cakes. For the record, I’m really not much of a dessert person, nor am I especially into raw foods. Which is why it may surprise you (as it did me!) that the two cakes I’m obsessed with are from Amber Shea Crawley’s new book, Practically Raw Desserts. The recipes in this book have been tantalizing me for a while now, since Jon’s company, Vegan Heritage Press, published the book.

My main obsession is the Confetti Birthday Cake you see above. I swear I’ve been dreaming about this cake with its vanilla coconut-crème frosting and its adorable coconut confetti sprinkles. I plan to make this delightful confection for my own birthday, but I may not be able to wait until Jun.  Maybe Earth Day…that’s next week!

The other cake that captures my attention is this insanely delicious-looking Enlightened Carrot Cake that is not only raw, vegan, gluten-free, and soy-free, but also grain-free, nut-free, low-calorie, low-fat, no-added-sugar, and no-bake. Yes, it’s all that! I’m in awe of the fact that something that looks so luscious can be so virtuous.

There are lots of other amazing treats in Practically Raw Desserts. What I like best about the book is that it has something for everyone, even those with various food allergies. All of the recipes in the book are vegan, low-glycemic, and free of dairy, eggs, gluten, wheat, soy, refined sugars, refined flours, yeast, starches, gums, corn, and peanuts. They are also reasonably low (to very low) in calories and require no special equipment. The recipes are clearly written with lots of variations and substitutions.  Several of the recipes are “no-bake” while others can be made either raw or baked.

The sheer variety in Practically Raw Desserts is astonishing too. Among the other recipes (besides those two cakes!) that I’ve marked as “must try” are:

Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownies
Baklava Blondies
Key Lime Pie
Pineapple Upside-Down Cake
Crumb-Topped Chocolate Hazelnut Torte
Coconut Heaven Cupcakes
Salted Tahini Caramels
White Chocolate Vanilla Bean Truffles

Whether you’re vegan, raw, or just like good desserts, you’ll find lots to love in Practically Raw Desserts. And if you or someone you know has certain food sensitivities, this book is definitely or you.

Some people crave chocolate.  I crave cauliflower.  And sometimes chocolate, too.  But mostly cauliflower.  I’ve actually  been obsessed with cauliflower for years, so it’s nice to see that the rest of the world is catching up!  Lately I’ve been seeing cauliflower everywhere I look –prepared in so many delicious and creative ways.

Growing up, my mother prepared battered and fried cauliflower and also blanketed with a cheddar cheese sauce, so loving the snowy crucifer came easy to me.  When I went macrobiotic in the 1980s, steamed cauliflower mashed with cooked millet became my new mashed potatoes.  Eventually, I left out the millet, and enjoyed the mashed cauliflower on its own. Cauliflower also makes an amazing mac and cheese.  Far and away, however, my favorite cauliflower preparation is roasted.  I love it roasted plain, or picatta, doused with a Manchurian-style sauce, as a pizza topping, or topped with a creamy lemon sauce  or vegan hollandaise sauce, as shown above.

Here is a round-up of some of my favorite cauliflower-centric posts:

Cauliflower Picatta

Mac and Cheddar Cauliflower

Manchurian Cauliflower Pizza

Buffalo Cauliflower Pizza

Creamy Picatta Orechiette over Roasted Cauliflower

Gobi Manchurian

There are also some great recipes featuring cauliflower in my newest book, Nut Butter Universe, such as Roasted Tahini Cauliflower (featuring two of my favorite ingredients!) and the Scalloped Cashew Potatoes and Cauliflower tastes more decadent than it really is.  I think my favorite, though, is the Pasta with Cauliflower-Cashew Alfredo — I used to love creamy Alfredo sauce, and am thrilled to be able to enjoy this healthy vegan version that is super creamy and delicious.

Pasta with Cauliflower-Cashew Alfredo from Nut Butter Universe

I also like to make cauliflower “rice” and of course, cauliflower is terrific in curries.  The list goes on…

So, what’s your take on the cauliflower craze?

The enthusiastic response to my latest book Nut Butter Universe has been overwhelming.  Many thanks to all of you who sent me an e-mail about how much you are enjoying the book.

Even beyond the amazing Blog Tour (you can catch up here if you missed any of the posts), there have been lots of Nut Butter Universe sightings on various blogs and websites, including Olives For Dinner where you will find the recipe and gorgeous photos (such as this one) of Indonesian Eggplant with Peanut Sauce.

On Keepin’ It Kind, Kristy posted the recipe for Black-Bottom Peanut Butter Freezer Pie along with some yummy photos of the Nut Butter Fantasy Brownies that she made from Nut Butter Universe — I especially like this photo:

Yummy Plants explained why they’re nuts for Nut Butter Universe and posted their photo of Oatmeal with a Swirl of  Almond Butter and also the recipe for Cheesy Almond Broccoli Soup.  The Kitchn shares some views from inside the book, and VegBlogger is excited about Nut Butter Universe and promises to post some photos soon!

If I missed any site where Nut Butter Universe has been featured, please let me know so I can share the link.  If you have the book and are loving it, I’d really appreciate it if you would take a minute to leave a brief review on Amazon to let others know about it.  And if you haven’t gotten your copy yet, you can pick one up on Amazon for only $11.61!

St. Patrick’s Day is one of my favorite food holidays. I love coming up with fun new ways to enjoy green food — extra points for adding an additional Irish spin to the dish. I can’t decide what to make this year. I can always go traditional and make the Corned Seitan and Cabbage from Vegan on the Cheap. It’s made in a slow cooker so I can set it and forget it.

I might also get a second slow cooker on the job and make the Colcannon from Fresh from the Vegan Slow Cooker:

Or I could just have fun with colcannon,maybe some Colcannon Quesadillas

or these Colcannon Fritters:

Then again, I might go all out and make the St. Patrick’s Day Menu from Party Vegan:

~St. Patrick’s Day Menu~
Pea Green Soup
Irish Whiskey and Soda Bread
Colcannon-Topped Irish Stew
Shamrock Vegetable Salad
Creamy Lime-Pistachio Parfaits

(I especially love the Irish Whiskey and Soda Bread!)  But most likely, I may simply “go for the green” this year with this Shamrock Pizza:

It’s simple enough to make — just divide enough dough for a personal-size pizza into three equal pieces (after first pinching off a small piece for the shamrock “stem”) — shape each of the three dough pieces into shamrock leaves (heart-shaped) and pre-bake the dough until almost done. Then fit the leaves together into a shamrock shape (you’ll have to trim the ends so they fit into place where the leaves and stem join. Assemble the fitted shamrock pieces on a pizza pan and spread with your choice of toppings — I went all out with a vivid green spinach and white bean spread made by sauteeing onion and garlic in a skillet with spinach, salt, pepper, and a little basil and oregano. I then pureed the spinach mixture with cooked white beans, a few capers, a couple green olives, a dash of lemon juice, and 2 chopped scallions. (When it tastes good enough to eat with a spoon it’s ready!) You could, of course, then top the spinach mixture with a little shredded Daiya, but I preferred to leave mine boldly green.  I may even wash it down with a green smoothie:

What are you making for St. Patrick’s Day?

My friend and colleague  Robin Asbell, who recently hosted me during my blog tour for Nut Butter Universe,  invited me to participate in a “blog hop” in which several cookbook authors  answer a set of questions about their “Next Big Thing” and then ask their blog readers (you!)  to “hop” from this blog to several other sites where you can read about what’s new with some other authors.

For this blog hop, I was asked to answer the following questions to tell you all about my “Next Big Thing“:

What is the title of your upcoming book?

Well, I actually just came out with a new book, Nut Butter Universe, so to me that’s my “Current Big Thing” that I’m very excited about.  But My “Next Big Thing”  is One-Dish Vegan which I’m looking forward to as well.

Who is publishing your book and what is the expected release date?

One-Dish Vegan will be published by The Harvard Common Press.  It is due to be released in September of this year.

How long did it take you to research and write this book?

This book is a compilation of my favorite one-dish meals.  Some of the recipes are brand new while others originated from some of my early books, so I guess you could say the book took me several years to research, but less than a year to put the finished work together.

What inspired you to write this book?

One-dish meals are some of my favorite ways to cook and serve food.  I like the idea of preparing something that includes all the components of the meal in one.  One-dish meals can range from easy weeknight comfort food dishes to delicious meals that are special enough for company.

What is your favorite aspect of writing a cookbook?

I love the creative part at the beginning of writing a cookbook, when all the pieces start falling into place.  I especially love naming recipes – it’s so fun to come up with recipe titles!

What is the hardest aspect of writing a cookbook?

Recipe testing is definitely hardest for me because working all those years in restaurants, I never measured anything – everything was intuitive.  So I’m very grateful to my wonderful recipe testers who are so diligent and precise with preparing all of my recipes and providing feedback about what works and what doesn’t.

What interesting things would we find in your refrigerator right now if we were to open it?

The entire top shelf and door of my refrigerator is devoted to condiments and sauces.  I think I have every type of hot sauce there is, from sriracha and Tabasco to sambal oelek and gochujang and then there’s chutney, salsa, a few kinds of mustard, olives, and capers. There is also lots of  fresh produce and a pot of bean soup.  The freezer is stockpiled with cooked rice, pizza dough, seitan, and the last of last summer’s pesto and blackberries.

What is your favorite sound in the kitchen?

My favorite sound is when someone (usually my husband) comes into the kitchen and says, “Wow, that smells so good!”

What three ingredients can’t you live without?

Only three?  There are at least a dozen, but let’s start with garlic, tamari sauce, and peanut butter.  Those simple ingredients can make magic happen in the kitchen.

So, do you have an agent?

Yes, my agent of many years is Stacey Glick of Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.  I can’t imagine doing what I do without her.

Which actors would you chose to place your main characters in the rendition of this book?

I think it would be hilarious to see a movie version of a cookbook!  But if it were a movie of my life, I’d love to have Rachel Weisz play me – just on the off chance I’d get to meet Daniel Craig!

To read about  ”THE NEXT BIG THING” from some other cookbook authors, hop over to these sites:

Robin Asbell, The New Vegetarian
Victoria Moran, Main Street Vegan
J L Fields, JL Goes Vegan
Jill Nussinow, The Veggie Queen
 Nava Atlas, Veg Kitchen

I’ll leave you with a photo of one of the recipes from One-Dish Vegan:

Pesto Lasagna from One-Dish Vegan (photo by Lori Maffei)

SPREAD IT AROUND….   The Nut Butter Universe Blog Tour begins today with the first stop being VeggieGirl who has posted my recipe for Szechuan Stir-Fry with Fiery Peanut Sauce and is also hosting a giveaway of the book.  Be sure to head on over there to check out the recipe and enter the giveaway, but first, let me tell you about the rest of the blog tour…

During the  next two weeks, Nut Butter Universe will be featured on the blogs listed below.  Some of these wonderful blog hosts will feature a sample recipe from Nut Butter Universe, others might have a guest post (by me!), and others may be doing a giveaway or a review of the book.  Some will be doing a combination!  You can check back here each day for a link to each post (the links will be updated each day when the post goes live).

I hope you enjoy this tour of my new cookbook, Nut Butter Universe: Easy Vegan Recipes with Out-of-This-World Flavors.

NUT BUTTER UNIVERSE BLOG TOUR SCHEDULE

Monday Feb 18:  Veggie Girl

Tuesday Feb 19: Robin Asbell 

Wednesday February 20:  Julieanna Hever

Thursday February 21:   Savvy Vegetarian

Friday February 22:    Go Dairy Free

Monday February 25:   Veg Kitchen

Tuesday February 26:   Julie’s Kitchenette

Wednesday February 27:   JL Goes Vegan

Thursday February 28:   Manifest Vegan

Friday March 1: Vegan Crunk

Friday March 1: Hungry Vegan

I want to close this post with something delicious, so here’s a photo of the Linguine with Thai Pesto from Nut Butter Universe, taken by recipe tester VeganAide who also happens to be hosting a giveaway of Nut Butter Universe right now on her blog, Weekly Vegan Menu, so be sure to enter that one as well!