Mike's awesome 3-bean chili

2 onions, roughly chopped
1/2 large green bell pepper
1 med sweet potato, medium dice
6 cloves of garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 can kidney beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can black beans
1 carrot
1 can stewed tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes w/green chilis
1/2 habanero, de-seeded, minced (or to taste)
2 T cumin
2 t cocoa
1-2 t coriander
2 T chili powder
1 heaping t oregano
1 t suger
1 T molasses
2 c veg broth
1 t vegan worcestershire sauce
2 T Braggs

Sautee onions until translucent with a little carmelization
Add garlic, sautee 1-2 min
Add sweet potato, green pepper, carrot - sautee 2-3 minutes, adding 1-2 T broth to keep things from sticking
Add tomatoes, spices, & stir - let cook for 1-2 minutes
Add beans
Add 2 c broth
Bring to boil, then simmer 45 minutes or until carrots are tender
Add in 1/8-1/3 c cornmeal as needed to thicken, to your preference

Serve with fresh rosemary foccacia bread. Top chili with a dollop of soy sour cream & several lime wedges.

Thanksgiving

appetizer: Catalan mushrooms with garlic & parsley

Wok-seared sesame green beans

Roasted acorn squash with chile vinaigrette or

Mashed sweet potatoes with pumpkin pie herbs (from Veganomicon)
Chili-cornmeal crusted tofu (from Veganomicon)
Focaccia with cracked pepper and fresh rosemary (from Veganomicon)
Strawberry/peach/raspberry pie with vanilla soy ice cream



This day is sunny and gorgeous, clear. Trees from our back deck glow copper and still green, and the air is fresh. Rosemary's scent permeates the house. Daphne sleeps in a sunpatch, for once not eating the plants. There is much to be grateful for - that I can enjoy the leisure and have the financial ability to enjoy the creation of the above menu is just a part of that. We'll take a walk later, when it's a bit warmer, maybe continue reading Byron's silly and excessive Don Juan.

Barbecued tempeh with bell peppers

This makes a piquant and saucy dish, especially when you up the onion and garlic amounts, as we did. We subbed brown sugar for the honey, and dijon mustard for the whole grain mustard. Served with some baked kale chips, this was filling and healthy - a cool weather keeper!

found here: http://www.recipezaar.com/192304

Cook's note: "Adapted from Vegetarian Times."

35 min 15 min prep

Change to: servings US Metric

Marinade
1/4-1/2	cup soy sauce
2	tablespoons rice wine vinegar
4	teaspoons lemon juice
2	teaspoons honey --------------------------------
1 (8	ounce) package tempeh
1	cup sliced sweet onions
2	medium red bell peppers or green bell peppers, sliced in strips
1	teaspoon minced garlic
3/4	cup water
1/4	cup tomato paste
1-2	tablespoon molasses
1-2	tablespoon dark brown sugar
2	teaspoons whole grain mustard
2	teaspoons apple cider vinegar
1	teaspoon chili powder
	salt
	fresh ground black pepper

Marinade:

1. In small bowl, combine marinade ingredients and mix well.
2. Tempeh:.
3. Place tempeh in a shallow bowl and pour marinade over it. Cover and refrigerate at least two hours and up to overnight, turning occasionally. Drain tempeh and reserve marinade. Cut tempeh into 1/2-inch cubes.
4. Coat bottom of large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat until hot. Add onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring often, until just tender, about 5 minutes.
5. Add marinade and all remaining ingredients except salt and pepper to skillet. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until mixture thickens, mashing cubes of tempeh slightly with a fork. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Serve over rice or use as a sandwich filling in a bun. Enjoy!

Green herb risotto (Risotto preboggion)

Adapted from The Top 100 Italian Rice Dishes. Author Diane Seed writes: “In Liguria this risotto is made with preboggion, a bundle of mixed wild herbs which vary according to the season. Local lore has it that during the Crusades a Genovese lord, Goffredo di Buglione, sent his men out to scour the alien hills for fragrant herbs for his dinner. These herbs became known as pro Buglione which was corrupted to preboggion.” Serves 6.

6 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
2 small zucchini, diced
4 oz baby spinach, washed, thoroughly dried, and finely chopped
2 oz finely chopped mixed mint, sage and rosemary, combined
1-1/2 oz each finely chopped basil and flat-leaf parsley
Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 (2 Tbsp) stick soy margarine

In a saucepan bring stock to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan and add garlic and onion. When they are soft, add rice and cook, stirring, until it is coated with the oil. Let the rice cook for about 5 minutes, then add the vegetables and herbs and gradually add the stock, a ladle at a time (reserving 1/4 cup), letting the rice absorb the liquid. After 20 minutes, when the rice is cooked, adjust the seasoning, add the reserved stock, and margarine, and stir vigorously. Serve hot, sprinkled with yeast flakes and chopped parsley.

Adapted from The Perfect Pantry blog http://www.theperfectpantry.com/2007/09/wine-youd-be-wi.html

Roasted acorn squash with chile vinaigrette

This is the single most tasty squash recipe I've ever had.

Active time: 15 min
Start to finish: 45 min


2 (1 1/2 - to 1 3/4-lb) acorn squash (delicata are good as well)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (or more)
1 teaspoon salt (I used about 1/2)
6 tablespoons olive oil (I cut this by about 3 T)
1 garlic clove (make this about 4 cloves and you got it!)
1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, or to taste (lemon works, too)
1 to 2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh hot red chile, including seeds (I used 1/2 a habanero, seeds removed - it was perfect)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro (consider this optional)
Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 450°F. Halve squash lengthwise, then cut off and discard stem ends. Scoop out seeds and cut squash lengthwise into 3/4-inch-wide wedges. Toss squash with black pepper, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons oil in a bowl, then arrange, cut sides down, in 2 large shallow baking pans. Roast squash, switching position of pans halfway through roasting (I didn't bother and it was fine), until squash is tender and undersides of wedges are golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes. (you should be able to easily stick a fork in it even through the skin, and the part laying against the pan should be rather darker than 'golden' if you want to max out on the carmelization effect)

While squash roasts, mince garlic and mash to a paste with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt. Transfer paste to a small bowl and whisk in lime juice, chile (to taste), cilantro, and remaining 1/4 cup oil until combined. Transfer squash, browned sides up, to a platter and drizzle with vinaigrette (or just do what I did - toss the browned squash peices back into the same bowl you used before, and stir in the garlic mixture (no way this is able to be 'drizzled').

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/236007

Broccoli, red pepper & walnut filled calzones

These are delightful. The walnuts are a crunchy surprise, the red peppers' delicate sweetness comes through clearly, and the broccoli anchors all with a certain fresh solidity. I like to have some kind of sauce with my calzone, but this needed nothing. I think if I did tinker a bit with this recipe, it would be to add just a bit of the lightest, creamy white sauce to bind everything together - certainly nothing assertive. I also like to make the entire recipe of calzone dough, then fill the other 4 with some other filling - in this case, a rich mix of crumbled tempeh with sauteed onion, garlic, green pepper, and a serving's worth of my frozen spaghetti sauce, spiced up with a substantial pinch of red pepper flakes. Another good filling, a marinara, is here, though I can't resist playing with it.

I added a full scoop of nutritional yeast to each filling, and stirred some turmeric, cayenne, and sesame seeds into the dough - the result was great. These freeze very well, and one absolutely makes a meal.

1/2 recipe of Whole Wheat Calzone Dough
1/2 cup walnuts
2 cups broccoli, cut into small florets
1 cup red pepper, destemmed, deseeded, and diced
1 t. olive oil
1 T. nutritional yeast flakes
1 T. lemon juice
1 t. dried dillweed
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Prepare the Whole Wheat Calzone Dough according to the recipe instructions through the rolling out procedures. Cover the 4 rolled out calzones with a clean towel so that they won't dry out while preparing the filling. In a non-stick skillet, place the walnuts, and cook over medium heat for 3-5 minutes or until lightly toasted and fragrant. Transfer the toasted walnuts to a small bowl and set aside to cool completely. In the same skillet, saute the broccoli and red pepper in the olive oil for 2 minutes to soften. Roughly chop the cooled walnuts. Add the walnuts, along with the remaining ingredients, to the skillet. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and saute the mixture an additional 2-3 minutes or until the vegetables are crisp tender. Remove the skillet from the heat, set aside, and allow the mixture to cool slightly.

Divide the filling evenly among the rolled out calzones, placing it on one half of each circle of dough and leaving a 1/2-inch border around the edge. Brush a little water around the edge of each circle of dough. Fold the dough over to enclose the filling, crimp the edges closed with your fingers, and then fold up the edges a 1/2-inch to form a decorative border. Transfer the filled calzones to a non-stick cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Allow the calzones to cool for a few minutes before serving. Can be served warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Yield: 4 Calzones

from the Vegan Chef

Tofu with onions & peppers

This is adapted from a more traditional recipe for pepper steak.

1/4 c. Bragg's liquid aminos (or low-sodium soy sauce)
1/4 c. vegetable broth
1 package extra firm tofu, frozen, then thawed & sliced into strips 2" x 1"x 1/4" thick
1/2 tsp. ground ginger, or use 1 tsp. fresh, chopped
2 tbsp. cornstarch
2 cloves garlic
1 (14 1/2 oz.) can whole or stewed tomatoes
1 c. thinly sliced onion
1 green pepper, cut in strips
2 tbsp. olive oil

Crush garlic cloves; mix with Bragg's or soy sauce, broth and ginger in a saucepan. Heat to boiling. Place tofu in bowl and marinate with soy sauce mixture for 30 minutes. Drain tofu (save marinade). Brown tofu on both sides in oil, set aside.
Drain tomatoes, saving liquid. Add tomatoes, onions and green peppers to pan. Combine tomato liquid with broth to equal 1 cup. Mix tomato liquid with marinade, stir in cornstarch and pour over vegetables in pan. Simmer, covered, 15 minutes stirring occasionally. Add hot pepper flakes or fresh black pepper to taste.

Serve with rice. 2-3 servings

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Cinnamon Icing

courtesy of Isa Chandra Moskowitz

1 cup canned pumpkin
1/3 cup oil
1 c granulated sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. preheat oven to 350.

2. in a med. bowl, stir together pumpkin, oil, sugar, soy milk and vanilla. Sift in the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir together with a fork -- don't use a mixer, as it will make the batter gummy. Once well combined, fold in the chocolate chips.

3. Fill cupcake liners two-thirds full. Bake for 22 to 24 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let fullly cool before icing.

CINNAMON ICING
1/2 c. confectioners sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 T. margarine, melted
1 T. soy milk
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place sugar & cinn. in small bowl. Add margarine, soy milk & vanilla and stir with a fork until smooth. Keep at room temp until ready to use. THe mix should look opaque and honey brown; if it's glistening a lot or looks too liquid, add a little conf. sugar.


Put the icing in a small sandwich bag and cut a hole in it (or use a pastry bag). Pipe icing on in stripes or zigzags or swirls.

CHOCOLATE NUTTIE SPREAD

prep time: 5 minutes + 2 hrs soaking time
makes: 1 cup

• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp instant de-caf

Soak raisins in 150 ml water for at least 2 hours. Together with other ingredients blend in a mixer until it resembles nice chocolate consistency. This one is soooo great that, supposing you make whole basket, it is possible, that there will be some left. In this case, cover tightly and refridgerate.

NOW: The best part is actual experimenting. You can make this spread 100 times and never make it the same. Here are some suggestions:

1. Add a teaspoon of rum or your favorite liquor.
   
2. For non-alcoholic version, add a few drops of vanilla essence.
   
3. I have used wallnuts and hazelnuts, but feel free to use any kind you have.


4. I have even used sunflower seeds instead of nuts.


5. Substitute prunes or other sour dried fruit instead of raisins.
   
6. Halve the amount of nuts and add coconut flakes.


7. Add a pinch of cinnamon, cardamom or nutmeg.

borrowed from http://www.burntmouth.com/2007_09_01_archive.html