Late October Local Produce

I really felt at a loss when I got okra and turnips, so I decided to throw them into a spicy lentil stew – along with the mushrooms (in a bag), onions, and green peppers.

The apples will be eaten at breakfast, I’m sure.

I already ate the lettuce and radishes in a salad with fresh dill (it’s hiding!) tahini miso dressing. I have more string beans than I know what to do with, so I’m thinking three or four bean salad.

I’ve been really an orange vegetable of some sort (like squash or pumpkin), but no such luck!

Spicy Sloppy Lentils

I think sloppy joes are a huge comfort food. My mom made them for me when I was a teenager – first with meat and later with soy crumbles when I became vegetarian. Over the years, I’ve seen some vegetarians use lentils instead of soy crumbles, and I have to say, I’m a convert.

I prefer to use the lentils because they taste better. Also, they’re a whole food, which I love. Another benefit of using lentils is that they are always vegan. Soy crumbles can sometimes contain non-vegan ingredients or come from a company who’s practices I rather not support.

I used to ask for sweet sloppy joes when I was a kid, but now I like them tangy… and plenty spicy. I don’t fuss around with a spice blend for these. I keep them really simple and flavored with vegetables. And I sweeten them just a touch with blackstrap molasses. I like the deep flavor of molasses, and it’s a great source of both iron and calcium.

Spicy Sloppy Lentils

1 red onion, minced
1 green bell pepper, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
15 ounces tomato sauce, organic if possible (not the same thing as spaghetti sauce)
2 cups of water
1 teaspoon brown mustard
1 tablespoon blackstrap molasses
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
1 cup red lentils (but green is fine too)

Saute the onion and bell pepper in olive oil over medium high heat until they start to brown. (Make sure to use a pot big enough to hold the lentils, tomato sauce, and water later on.)

Reduce to medium low, and add the garlic and jalapeno. Cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the tomato sauce, water, brown mustard, blackstrap molasses, and lentils. Bring to a boil, and reduce to low. Cook covered for an hour, stirring occasionally and adding a bit of water if needed. The final result should be saucy, not soupy.

Compassionate Chocolate Chip Cookies

For the first few years I was vegan, I didn’t have a decent chocolate chip cookie. Back then, vegan chocolate chip cookies were not really perfected, and every single one I baked or bought was a dry disappointment.

Times have sure changed, and I can get a great chocolate chip cookie at almost any health food / hippie store. My favorite chocolate chip cookies are these soft little ones I make via a Compassionate Cooks recipe I found a few years ago.

I’ve changed this recipe a bit over the years to suit my taste. I prefer to mix Ener-G Egg Replacer powder with some sort of fatty non-dairy milk (like soy or almond milk). I just find that using a non-dairy milk rounds out the cookies’ taste a bit more.

I also like to make my cookies on the small side with mini vegan chocolate chips. I bake them until they are not quite done and let them finish cooking while they cool. This makes for a super tender cookie.

Compassionate Chocolate Chip Cookies (makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies)

4-1/2 teaspoons Ener-G Egg Replacer
6 tablespoons non-dairy milk (soy or almond is best)
1 cup Earth Balance buttery sticks (or any vegan margarine – I find the sticks work best)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
21/4cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups mini vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Whip the egg replacer and non-dairy milk together, until it’s thick and creamy. The original recipe calls for using a blender, but I find that a fork or whisk works well enough for me.

In a large bowl, cream the margarine, granulated sugar, brown sugar, and vanilla. Add the egg replacer mixture to this wet mixture, and thoroughly combine. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually beat in flour mixture until it begins to form a dough. When it is almost thoroughly combined, stir in the chocolate chips.

Put the cookie dough on your cookie sheet, one tablespoon at a time. If the dough gets hard to work with (or if you have to make multiple batches), just stick it in the refrigerator for a while.

Bake cookies for 7-9 minutes until they are starting to brown and don’t look like liquid in the middle. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Chickpea Cutlets, Reimagined

As you may know, I’m obsessed with the Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon. And whenever I’m obsessed, it leads to tinkering.

I like the cutlet recipe a lot as it stands in Veganomicon, but I thought the spices could be tweaked a little bit. I cut down on the sage and lemon zest, because I felt like they were overpowering the cutlets. I also made the cutlets slightly bigger and thicker, which helped them be less dry. I also think that adding a bit of diced vegetable makes them a bit more interesting.

Kari’s Chickpea Cutlets (serves 3)

1 cup cooked chickpeas
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
1/2 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon diced celery
2 tablespoons diced red onion
1/8 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/8 teaspoon dried sage
Olive oil for cooking frying

Heat a cast iron griddle or pan over medium heat.

Mash the chickpeas and oil together with a mortar and pestle until they are smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and knead together for about 3 minutes, until strings of gluten have formed.

Divide the cutlet dough into three equal pieces. Shape into ovals that are about a half inch thick.

Brush olive oil on your skillet. Cook the cutlets for about seven minutes on each side, until they are browned and cooked through.

Spicy Texan Fall Vegetable Stew

Sometimes I get really overwhelmed by the vegetables in my local produce box. Okra again? Ugh, more eggplant, really?

Even though it doesn’t feel like the falls I remember from Colorado, Virginia, and Massachusetts, I am longing for tons of sweet potato and butternut squash. But I am also committed to cooking with seasonal, local, and organic produce.

I whipped up this amazing soup using the old “everything but the kitchen sink” method. It’s spicy, comforting, and rustic. And even if you aren’t a big okra fan, I find that it goes well in this particular soup. Since I made it with Tex-Mex flavors, I topped it with fried tortilla strips and green onion.

Spicy Texan Fall Vegetable Stew

Makes 8 cups

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 red onion, chopped into half inch pieces
3 carrots, chopped into half inch pieces
2 celery, chopped into half inch pieces
1 small bell pepper, chopped into half inch pieces
2 long thin japanese eggplants, thinly sliced
10 okra pieces, thinly sliced
28 ounces crushed tomatoes
3 1/2 cups veggie broth
3 1/2 cups water
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 tablespoon oregano
1 cup red lentils

Heat up the olive oil in a big stock pot on medium heat. Chop the vegetables one at a time, adding them to the oil and stirring. If you are a slow chopper, you may need to lower the temperature and stir a little more often.

After you’ve got the okra in the pot, cook the vegetables for a minute more. Add in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil, and reduce to the lowest temperature possible. Slow cook the soup for 4-6 hours, checking occasionally and adding water if needed.

Refrigerate overnight. Reheat to serve, adding any garnishes you feel like.

Three Basil Pesto

October is basil season here in Austin. The cooler weather has really helped my basil flourish, and given that I’ve been getting in it my local produce box, I’m definitely not the only one swimming in basil.

When I have a lot of basil, I obviously have to make pesto. I had three different kinds of basil around, so I named this Three Basil Pesto. You can use as many or as few types of basil as you want though.

I have found that my basil really does taste the best when I pound it out in a mortar and pestle. I know it’s difficult to do, but something about it always tastes better, and it’s easier for me to get the consistency I like. Plus, I find that you don’t need as much oil this way, which is nice. Oily pesto is a drag.

Three Basil Pesto

(Makes 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 cups tightly packed basil leaves
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons miso paste
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
30 raw almonds

Pound out all the ingredients using a mortar and pestle until they make a nice paste. This will take five to fifteen minutes depending on how smooth you like your pesto.

Mid October Local Produce

Here’s my local produce haul for this week. I was especially excited to see the little basil plant! It’s outside and thriving in the sun.

The super huge sweet potato (or is it a yam?) should make for something fun, and the apples have already found their way into a cobbler. I ate the lettuce right away, and the eggplant and bell pepper are simmering right now in a huge Texas fall soup stew.

I haven’t used the jalapenos yet, but I am thinking of getting creative and stuffing them. String beans, tomatoes, and cucumbers always get eaten quickly, so I’m not worried about those. Between my garden and the basil in my box, I am officially swimming in it, so I think I’ll pound out some pesto tomorrow.

Sundried Tomato Basil Quesadillas and Raw Pear Apple Cobbler

I wish I could take the credit for this creative and delicious meal, but I didn’t cook it. Instead, I bought it from this tasty food trailer, Counter Culture, near my house. I know that I’m an incredibly spoiled vegan living here in Austin, and Counter Culture is half of what spoils me. It’s 100% vegan, and everything is amazing tasting. I often go here every week.

The tomato basil quesadillas were made with a homemade cashew “cheese” and spiced perfectly. The cobbler was flavorful – full of spices, dried fruit, and nuts. The apple and pear were sliced super thinly, and the pear practically melted in your mouth.

Considering I can walk here four days a week for lunch or dinner, it’s a wonder I do any cooking at home ever.

Creamy Light Miso Gravy

I don’t know why vegans are obsessed with gravy, but count me among them. I love vegan gravies of all sort, and I invented this light little gravy that’s perfect with heavier meals.

I served it over the Chickpea Cutlets from Veganomicon. If you’re not familiar with this recipe, it’s well worth getting the book just to try it. If you are familiar with the Chickpea Cutlets, then you know what I’m talking about. Enough with the cutlets… on to the gravy.

Creamy Light Miso Gravy (makes about 1 1/2 cups)

2 tablespoons miso
1/4 cup warm (but not boiling) water
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups vegetable broth
1 teaspoon nutritional yeast

Combine the miso in the water and whisk until the miso is dissolved. Set aside.

In a large skillet, whisk the flour and the oil together over medium-low heat. The oil should saturate the flour completely, but that’s all the oil you need. Start with a tablespoon of oil, and add more if you need to.

Stir constantly for a four to six minutes until the flour is slightly browned and nutty smelling. If you taste the flour at this point, it should not taste very raw.

Whisk in the vegetable broth and nutritional yeast. Raise to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce to a simmer and continue stirring every minute or so. Cook for 10-15 minutes, or until you’ve reached the desired consistency. (The gravy will thicken a bit when it cools, so keep that in mind.)

Remove from heat, and wait for the gravy to stop boiling. You shouldn’t see any bubbles. Stir in the miso and serve immediately.

Split Pea and Barley Soup

I’ve got to admit that this recipe is pretty much a copycat of California Pizza Kitchen’s Smashed Pea soup. It’s totally awesome though, and you should try it. Don’t let this wonderful soup’s chain restaurant roots scare you off.

I like my split pea soup better than the CPK soup, because it’s fresher and 100% homemade. I have simplified the recipe a bit and spiced it up some too. This is a great make ahead soup, and it tastes even better the second and third day.

Split Pea and Barley Soup (serves 6)

2 cups dried split peas
1/2 cup barley
6 cups water
4 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup onion, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 medium carrots, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
salt
pepper
dash hot red pepper flakes
diced green onion for garnish (both the green and white parts)

Put split peas, barley, water, vegetable broth, onion, garlic, lemon juice, sugar, parsley, oregano, and thyme all in a large stock pot. Bring to a boil and reduce to low. Cook for an hour or so, covered, stirring occasionally until the peas are completely soft. Stir in the celery and carrots, and cook for another half hour – or until the vegetables are soft.

Let cool overnight. Reheat on the stove top with enough water for desired consistency. Add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste. Garnish with green onion and serve.