‘Pumpkin pie’ and pistachio panna cotta

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A simple fall dessert with rich colour and texture contrasts, pictured here with a warm blueberry compote.

Ingredients

1/2 cup of coconut milk
1/4 cup of unsweetened soy milk
2T of agave nectar
1T of agar-agar flakes
1, 15oz can of organic pumpkin pie mix*
1/4 cup of pistachios, chopped
1t of sugar divided in halves*

Instructions

Bring the coconut milk, soy milk and agave to a simmer on medium low in a sauce pan.
Add the agar-agar flakes and stir to combine.
Simmer on medium low for 15 minutes stirring frequently until the agar is dissolved and the liquid is reduced to about 1/3 cup.
Add the pumpkin pie mix and stir until thoroughly combined.
Simmer another 20 minutes stirring frequently until thick and reduced.
Add half the chopped pistachios each to the bottom of 2 ramekins
Sprinkle the pistachios with 1/2t of sugar each
Pour the pumpkin mixture over the pistachios
Chill in the refrigerator for 20 minutes uncovered.
Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours to setup.
When firm and ready to serve, carefully turn out the panna cotta onto the plate.

*An organic pumpkin pie mix should have organic (unbleached) sugar. A growing number of white table sugars are produced without using animal bone charcoal. Beet sugar, organic sugar and unrefined sugars are typically fine.

Potato and kasha salad with mushrooms and kale

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A simple warm salad good as a side dish. For a light lunch, throw in some walnuts, pepitas or cashews, or clementines with kalamata olives. This recipe makes a fair amount.

5T of olive oil divided : 2T/1T/2T
3/4t of coarse sea salt, divided 1/4t and 1/2t
2 cups of kale, chopped
2 cups of cremini or button mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
2 cups of white or yellow potatoes in 1/2″ dice
2 cups of vegetable stock
1T of arrowroot powder whisked in 2T of water
1T of garlic, minced
1 cup of kasha
1T of lemon juice
2T of nutritional yeast
1t of dried thyme, rubbed
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

First, start the vegetables; then make the kasha.
Preheat the oven to 400F.
Whisk together 2T of olive oil and 1/2t of sea salt.
Dress the kale, mushrooms and potatoes and toss until well-combined.
Oven roast in a pan with sides until the vegetables are lightly browned (about 40 minutes), stirring occasionally. Ovens vary; use the colour as your guide.
When the vegetables are about half way through their roasting, whisk the arrowroot with the water.
Toss the kasha in the solution.
Bring 1T of cooking oil to heat on medium-high in a pan with a lid.
Add the sea salt and the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add the kasha to pan and stir fry the kasha for 2-3 minutes until lightly browned.
Add the stock.
Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until the stock is absorbed (perhaps 10-15 minutes).
Whisk together 2T of olive oil, the nutritional yeast, lemon juice and the thyme.
When the water has been absorbed, dress the kasha, remove from heat and set aside 5 minutes to cool.
Toss with the roasted vegetables until well-combined.
Season to taste.

Agave and red Thai chili accented seitan crusted with lemon, thyme and pepitas

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A sweet and spicy seitan with a flavourful and textured breading (pictured here with potato and kasha salad with kale and mushrooms, a red pepper, cauliflower rose sauce and chives).

Ingredients

For the seitan
3 cups of stock
1/2t of coarse sea salt
1/2 cup of water
2t of agave nectar
1T of tamari
2/3 cup of vital wheat gluten
1/2t of red Thai chili paste (or to taste)
1/4t of ground black pepper
2T of olive oil
Sea salt to taste
For the breading
1 cup of bread crumbs
3T of whole wheat flour
1/4 cup of pepitas, finely chopped
1T of lemon juice
1t of dried thyme, rubbed
2t of tamari
1/2t of onion powder
1/2t of garlic powder
1/4t of turmeric
3-4T of unsweetened soy milk
1T of minced chives
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Make the seitan first, then the breading when ready.
For the seitan, bring the stock and sea salt to a light simmer.
Mix the dry ingredients, the remaining wet ingredients, and then the dry with the wet to form a ball of dough.
Knead for 2-3 minutes.
Break the ball in half and form two pieces, and flatten the two out.
Reduce the heat to low and add the seitan to the broth.
Simmer/poach on low for about 30-40 minutes.
Remove from the stock and set both aside to cool.
Once the seitan has cooled a bit, preheat the oven to 400F
Mix the the breading ingredients together until well combined and soft (add additional soy milk as required).
Gently pack the top of the seitan with half of the breading, and repeat for the second piece.
On a well-oiled baking sheet, bake on the middle rack for for 15-20 or until the breading is lightly crispy. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture of the breading as your guide.
When done, remove from the oven, let stand 5 minutes to cool and garnish with chives.

Golden and red beet soup with lemon sesame ribbon and fresh dill

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A soup with a lot of fall colours and flavours. The golden beets are accented with cinnamon, cloves and ginger’ the red beets. with a little white vinegar and mushroom stock. The lemon sesame ribbon adds some richesse, but also cuts the sweetness of the soup. The lovely dill finishes the presentation.

Ingredients

For the golden beets
1T of cooking oil
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1t of ginger, minced
1t of dried ground cinnamon
1/4t of dried ground cloves
1/4t of dried ground turmeric
2 cups of chopped golden beets
1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
2T of unsweetened soy milk
Sea salt to taste

For the red beets
1T of cooking oil
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1t of tamari
1t of white vinegar
3 cups of chopped red beets
2 cups of mushroom stock
1T of arrowroot powder dissolve in 2T of water
Black pepper and sea salt to taste

For the garnish
2T of sesame seed butter
1T of lemon juice
3-4T of cold water
Sea salt to taste
1 sprig of fresh dill per bowl

Directions

Use two pans with lids.
Bring the oil to heat on medium-high with the sea salt in each.
For the red beets, add the beets and saute for 3 minutes.
Add the tamari, vinegar and stock, cover and simmer on low until fork tender.
For the golden beets, add the spices and saute for 1 minute.
Add the beets and saute for another 3 minutes.
Add the stock, cover and simmer on low until fork tender.
Puree each soup separately.
Add the soy milk to the golden beet soup.
Stir until well-combined, remove from heat and set aside.
Return the red beet soup to a simmer.
Whisk the arrowroot with the water until dissolved.
Add the arrowroot mixture and add slowly to the soup, stirring continuously until thickened.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Whisk the sesame seed butter with the lemon juice, sea salt and 2T of water until well combined (the sesame seed butter will become white and almost fluffy).
Add water 1T at a time until you have a creamy consistency.
Season both soups to taste.
Ladle the red beet soup into a bowl, and then slowly add the the golden beet soup into the middle.
Garnish with the sesame cream and the dill and serve.

Roasted fennel and red pepper with chives, dill and nutritional yeast

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A simple warm salad of roasted vegetables and fresh herbs — a good dinner side dish or as a complement to pilaf or other ‘grains and greens’ style salads. Add a little lemon juice, black olives or both to broaden out the flavour.

Ingredients

2T of olive oil, divided
1 fennel bulb
1 red pepper
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
1T of fresh dill, minced
1T of fresh chives, minced
Black pepper and sea salt to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375F.
Trim the fennel bulb to remove fronds and core
Slice the bulb into quarters.
Lightly oil the whole pepper and the fennel with 1T of oil and sea salt.
Roast the red pepper until lightly charred.
Remove from the pan and set aside to cool until the fennel is done.
Roast the fennel until it starts to brown at the edges (about 45m). Ovens vary; use the colour as your guide.
When done, remove the fennel, and let cool while you peel, core, see and coarsely chop the pepper.
Coarsely chop the fennel.
Toss the fennel, red pepper, herbs, remaining 1T of oil and nutritional yeast until well combined.
Season to taste.

Roasted potato and kale salad with apples, artichokes and pistachios

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A warm salad that makes a good fall side dish or a light lunch.

Ingredients

2T of cooking oil, divided
1/2t coarse sea salt, divided
4 small white potatoes, quartered (about 1 1/2 cup)
1T of garlic, minced
2 cups of kale, chopped
1 small red pepper, diced
1 small apple, sliced (about 1/8″)
1 cup of artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 cup of pistachios
1/4 cup of unsweetened soy milk
1/4 cup of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450F.
Toss the potatoes in 1T of oil until well coated.
On a lightly oiled pan, bake for 15 minutes.
While the potatoes bake, prepare the kale and other ingredients.
Bring 1T of oil to heat in a frying pan.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minutes.
Add the red pepper and apples and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the kale, pistachios and artichoke hearts and saute for 5 minutes.
Add the soy milk and stir until combined.
Add the nutritional yeast.
Remove from the frying pan and add to the baking sheet.
Reduce the oven to 375F.
Roast with the potatoes until the latter are fork tender (about another 20 – 30 minutes). Ovens vary; used the texture of the potatoes as a guide.
Remove from the oven and let cool 5 minutes.
Toss the potatoes and everything else until well combined, and serve.

Rye berry and arugula salad with pepitas and pomegranates

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A simple warm salad with lots of great chew, focused on the flavour of the ingredients. There’s no oil in this recipe, but if you prefer to add some, use 2T.

1 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1/2 cup of rye berries
1/2t of coarse sea salt, divided
1 pomegranate, seeded
1/4 cup of pepitas
2T of nutritional yeast
1 scallion, minced
2 cups of baby arugula greens
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Add the rye to the pan on medium high and toast lightly for 2-3 minutes.
Add the stock and 1/4t of sea salt, cover, and simmer on low for 1 hour (or longer) until the stock is absorbed).
When the rye is done, remove from heat and set aside.
Seed the pomegranate.
Toss with the sea salt, scallion and pepitas with the pomegranate seeds.
Toss the warm rye with arugula and set aside for 10 minutes covered to wilt.
Toss everything together, season to taste and serve.

Oyster mushroom sauce with fresh passion fruit

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A simple but elegant and satisfying sauce that combines two very complementary flavours and textures. Shown here over pan-fried seitan.

Ingredients

1T of cooking oil
1/4t of coarse sea salt
1/4 pound of oyster mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
1/2 cup of vegetable stock
1 passion fruit
2t of corn starch dissolved in 1T of water
Sea salt and black pepper to taste.

Instructions

Bring the oil and sea salt to heat on medium-high.
Add the oyster mushrooms and saute for 5-7 minutes.
Add the stock and simmer for another 3-5 minutes.
Add the corn starch, stirring continuously until the sauce thickens.
Remove from heat, add the nutritional yeast, stir to combine and set aside to cool.
Slice the passion fruit carefully and spoon out the seeds, removing any pith from the seeds as necessary.
Season the mushrooms to taste and plate.
Garnish with about a tablespoon of passion fruit.

Peanut butter panna cotta with lime, cashew topping and shaved chocolate.

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A simple, rich, no-bake dessert with a brightly flavored lime topping and a little chocolate.

Ingredients

For the panna cotta
1 1/2 cups of unsweetened soy milk
1/2 cup of sugar (1)
1T heaping of agar-agar
1/2 cup of unsweetened peanut butter
A pinch of sea salt
2T of shaved chocolate for garnish (2)

For the topping
50g of extra firm tofu
2T cup of cashew butter
2T cup of unsweetened soy milk
2% cup of sugar (1)
1T of lime juice
A pinch of sea salt

Directions

Puree the soy milk, sugar, agar-gar, peanut butter and sea salt until smooth.
Bring the mixture to a simmer and simmer on medium low for 15 minutes.
Pour into two ramekins and chill uncovered for 20 minutes.
Cover with saran wrap and chill further for 2 hours.
Puree the ingredients for the topping.
Let chill 2 to 3 hours to setup.
When you’re ready to serve, turn the panna cotta out carefully onto a plate.
Spoon the lime cashew sauce over the top.
Garnish with shaved chocolate

(1) Production methods are changing, but some white cane sugars are still bleached using animal bone charcoal. Beet sugar, organic sugar and other unbleached sugars are typically fine.

(2) I use a nice fairly traded chocolate bar with organic beans and organic sugar.

Tofu stroganoff with cremini mushrooms and scallions

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A simple tofu dish with a lot of flavor, pictured here with soft wheat berries and roasted greens and peppers. Replace the sesame seed butter with cashew for a milder flavor.

Ingredients

225g tofu, cubed
1/2 cup and 2T unsweetened soy milk
1T corn starch
1T of cooking oil
1/2t coarse sea salt
1 scallion, minced (3″ reserved for garnish)
1T of garlic, minced
100g of cremini mushrooms,thinly sliced
1/2T of brown mustard
1t of white vinegar
1t of lemon juice
2T sesame seed butter
2T of nutritional yeast
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Cube the tofu, toss in 2T of unsweetened soy milk and then in the corn starch until lightly coated.
In a frying pan with a lid, bring the oil to heat on medium high with the sea salt.
Add the scallion and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
Add the mushrooms and saute for 5 minutes.
Whisk the vinegar and the mustard.
Add to the pan and saute for 2 minutes.
Add the soy milk and deglaze the pan.
Returned to a simmer, add the tofu and stir to combine.
Whisk the sesame seed butter and lemon, add to the pan and stir to combine.
Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the nutritional yeast and stir to combine.
Season to taste and serve garnished with scallions.