Vegan Recipes and Plant Based Cooking

This a very clean and simple application of a few of the vegetable world's most amazing flavors. An exercise in how powerful a minimal set of gorgeous ingredients can truly be. A good broth is a pleasure to eat and much simpler to make than most would think. 3 shallots, sliced 1 inch ginger, peeled, diced 7 cloves garlic, chunked 1 pint button mushrooms, diced 2 bunches bok choy, ribboned 3 dried japanese chiles 1/2 cup red wine 2 tbls olive oil 2 tsps asian garlic chili paste 1 tsp spicy mustard 2 tbls low sodium soy sauce 1 can chick peas, plus liquid 2 1/2 cups water 2 tsps black pepper 1 tsp salt 1 tsp crushed pepper flakes 1 tsp cayenne 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves Add shallots, ginger, garlic, mushrooms, chiles, oil, wine, chick pea can liquid, chili paste, mustard, soy sauce, water, black pepper, salt, pepper flakes and cayenne to a large pot and simmer for 15 minutes. Add chick peas and bok choy. Simmer 5 more minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in parsley.

Garlic and fruit go surprisingly well together. It's not all that different from the pairing of salty and sweet. If you like garlic, you'll like this combination. It's something different for you taste buds. It's garlicky and it's a little bit sweet. It's a granny smith apple though, so it also has a tart backbone to it. The wine, lemon and salt give it additional flavor dimensions. It also works well with pear instead of apple. It's a very French inspired puree, but it definitely has an American influence as well. It's also totally vegan. 3 heads of garlic, peeled, chunked 1 granny smith apple, peeled, cored, diced 1 lemon, zest and juice 1/4 cup white wine 1 tbl olive oil 2 tbls almond milk 2 tsps salt 1 tsp black pepper Use a kitchen towel and a meat mallet to quickly peel all that garlic. Hold the towel over a head and whack it a few times. It will release most of the shells. I saw this trick on Worst Cooks in America. Tyler Florence had

Charred corn is a brilliant thing. A little oil, a little spice and something magical happens to a simple ear of corn. All winter long I wait for corn season to begin again. When it finally does, I waste no time snatching up all that goodness. The charred corn and blistered tomatoes are deep and savory. A granny smith apple adds some complex sweetness. Peppers, lime and vinegar add heat and acid. It's only mildly hot, a little sweet and the range of textures are amazing. As usual, it's vegan. Roasted Corn 3 ears corn 2 tbls olive oil 1 tsps salt 1/2 tsp each: black pepper, paprika, garlic powder, cayenne Tomato Mixture 1 pint grape tomatoes, halved 1 poblano, diced 1 jalapeno, minced 5 cloves garlic, minced 1 tbl olive oil 1 tsp salt 2 tsps white vinegar The Rest 1/2 a medium onion, diced 1 granny smith apple, peeled and diced 2 tsps hot sauce 1 lime, zest and juice 1/4 cup basil chiffonade 2 tsps olive oil 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp black pepper D

Beans and rice are the meat of vegetarians and vegans. It's satiating and protein complete. It's also easy to prepare and simple to fill with satisfying flavor. It's funny to me, people like to speak of evolution as if it's over. People evolved to eat meat. True. But people are still evolving. We can evolve to not be meat dependent. In the years I've been animal free my body's needs have changed significantly. Milk products and milk containing foods are no longer a welcome presence. My hair goes scraggly and I don't sleep as well. My B12 requirements have lowered significantly. I used to feel it a lot when I wasn't getting enough B12. Now I'm more bothered when I get too much. I'm in the best shape I've ever been at age 43. I started cycling again at 38. 30-40 miles at a time. When that got too easy I took up running. 3 miles at first. Then 5. Then 7. I'm enjoying it a lot. I'm not an athletic person by any stretch of the imaginatio

This recipe is all about the dressing. Fresh vegetables really sing when you give them the loving embrace of a good dressing. The perfect dressing has a delicate balance of acid, oil, spice, heat and herb. It coats its components in a rich and lively liquid that awakens and enhances all their inherent flavors. When I first started creating vegan recipes I came up with a black bean and corn salad with lime and hot sauce dressing. It was pretty simple, but it tasted really good. It was very mexican influenced. This is a refinement of that original idea. It's much more Thai inspired. Ginger, lime and garlic come together in perfect vegan harmony. Dressing 2 limes, zest and juice 2 inches freshly grated ginger 4 cloves grated garlic 3 tbls olive oil 2 tsps hot sauce 2 1/2 tsps salt 1 tsp black pepper 2 tsps dry basil Salad 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed 2 cups assorted bell peppers, diced 1/4 cup poblano, diced 1 cup red onion, diced 1 jalapeno, minced 1/2

I was looking for an easy way to incorporate the protein power of tofu into snacks and meals without having to actually figure a way to fit it into each individual dish. I love hummus because it's so versatile. I use it in place of mayo, butter, salad dressing, sauce and even occasionally as a dip. Typical hummus is already pretty nutritious. Which is another reason why I love it so much. Tofu hummus just takes it a step further to pack a huge hit of protein into a simple smear or dollop that works with pretty much whatever else I feel like eating. I used red beans because that's what I had. Any bean would work. 1 package silken firm tofu, thoroughly drained if packed in water 1 can red beans, drained, not rinsed 4 tbls olive oil 1 tbl sriracha 3 cloves garlic 1/2 a jalapeno few handfuls fresh cilantro leaves 3 tsps salt 2 tsps garlic powder 2 tsps onion powder 2 tsps paprika 1 tsp dill 1 tsp black pepper Puree all ingredients in a food processor until s

Next time you're trying to create a vegan sauce try using a can of beans. The salty, starchy liquid from the can is a great vegan sauce foundation. Different varieties of canned beans will yield their own unique tasting sauces. What other components you choose to pair them with will determine the nature of your sauce. It's all up to your imagination and personal taste. 8 ounces dry pasta 1 can red beans, undrained 1/2 a medium red onion 1 large red bell pepper 1 poblano pepper 1 jalapeno pepper 1 serrano pepper 3 cloves garlic 1/2 cup white wine 2 tbls pickle brine 3 tbls olive oil 3 tbls reserved pasta water 2 tsps cumin seed 2 tsps coriander seed 2 tsps salt 2 tsps black pepper Cook pasta to barely al dente. Set aside. Reserve the 3 tbls of pasta cooking water in with the set aside pasta. Saute onion, bell pepper and poblano pepper in olive oil, salt and black pepper. Cook until peppers just barely begin to get tender. Add remaining ingredients, except for pasta/pasta wat