Ricciolini (ringlets) with nori, mushrooms, artichokes, and kale

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For the pasta
1 cup semolina flour
1t nori flakes
A pinch coarse sea salt
1/3 cup warm water
1t olive oil
2 liters water and 2t coarse sea salt for boiling

For the sauce
2T cooking oil
1/4t coarse sea salt

2 scallions, minced
1/2t dried basil, rubbed
1/4t dried oregano, rubbed
1/4t dried rosemary, rubbed
1/4t dried thyme, rubbed
1/4t dried marjoram, rubbed
1/4t dried red chili flakes (or to taste)
1/4t black pepper, freshly ground
1T garlic
2 cups cremini mushrooms, 1/2″ slices
1 cup artichoke hearts, finely chopped
1T lemon juice
2 cups passata (or tomato puree)
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups green kale, coarsely chopped
2T pasta water
1/2T arrowroot powder dissolved in 1T cold water
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: This is a relatively light sauce, close to soup. For a heavier sauce, reduce 3 cups of passata by about half and then add with the vegetable stock. Double the stock for a soup. Leave out the oil in the pasta and Water saute the scallion for a no oil version. A little red wine in the sauce will add depth and flavour. 2T sun-dried tomatoes, minced, added with the stock will also add depth. If you’d prefer your kale a little crunchier, add it to the sauce with the pasta.

Directions

First, start the pasta, then make the sauce. Mix the flour, nori and sea salt. Mix the oil and the 1/3 cup water. Mix the wet with the dry, and knead until a smooth elastic dough forms, and then another two minutes. Cover with a warm wet tea towel and let rest about 30 minutes.

In a large frying pan with a lid, bring the cooking oil to heat on medium high. Add the scallions, the dried green herbs and the chili. Saute for 2-3 minutes until the herbs are fragrant. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Add the mushrooms and artichoke hearts and saute for 5-7 minutes, or until the mushrooms have softened and have become lightly browned.

Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock and the passata. Return the pan to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer while you make the pasta.

On a floured board, roll the pasta out to a large rectangle about 1/8″ thick. Trim uneven edges with a knife or a pastry cutter (I use a pastry cutter). Cut the pasta in about 1 1/2″ to 2″ strips by 1/2″ to 3/4″ strips. Larger is more traditional, and the smaller the strip, the more time you’ll spend curling. Smaller, however, is a little easier until you get the hang of the twist.

When the pieces are cut, carefully twist each in a ringlet/curl fashion. Take one end of the pasta and twist toward you. Twist the other end of the strip away from you. For a shorter strip, twist once. For a longer strip, twist twice.

As you twist, however, be careful to keep as round of a shape to the twist as you can — otherwise, your pasta will not have the ringlet shape that makes this dish a delight. Press each end of the curled pasta gently to the board so that it won’t unravel while it dries.

Note, you can always twist more more than twice if you have the patience and dexterity. You can also curl the pasta around a dowels if you have them, although this is more complicated. If you don’t get the curl you like with an individual piece, just add the piece to the trimmed dough, and roll back out until you have a board full of lovely curls. As with many pastas, practice makes perfect.

Repeat until you’ve used all of the dough. Let the curled pasta stand for at least 20 minutes to dry in that shape. Drying helps keep the shape of the curl.

When the pasta has dried, add the kale to the sauce and stir to combine. Increase the heat of the pan to medium-low and leave loosely covered. In a large pan, bring the 2 liters water to a light boil with the sea salt. Carefully add the curls to the water. Boil lightly until they start to float (a few minutes). Don’t overcook and drain immediately, adding 2T pasta water and the pasta to the sauce. Stir to combine.

Simmer, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Add the arrowroot mixture slowly, stirring constantly, until it thickens. Remove from heat. Add the nutritional yeast. Stir to combine. Season to taste. Ladle out into bowls and serve.

Chilled blueberry borscht with sour cashew butter ribbon

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Simple, light and refreshing, but you have to like beets for this one. The dark, fruity flavor of the blueberries presents first, followed by the sweet, earthy taste of the beets, and then the salted, sour taste of the cashews. This makes two large bowls, four small ones, and easily doubles.

Ingredients

2 cups blueberries (the smaller the berries, the better)
1 cup red beets, peeled and chopped
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup cold water
2T cashew butter
2T plant milk (I use soy)
1/2T white pickling vinegar
A pinch coarse sea salt
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: Replace the soy milk with a little extra 1/2T cashew butter and use 2T cold water. White pickling vinegar is normally double strength white vinegar. So, you can also use regular white vinegar, but you may need a little more cashew butter to get the right texture. You can use cooked or raw beets with this dish, but raw are preferred. You can also use fresh or frozen blueberries. Puree the beets with the sea salt first, and then add the blueberries if you do. You’ll also need to cover and chill the soup a bit if you use fresh. Add a little freshly minced jalapeño pepper to give this soup some additional spicy, citrus flavor. Maybe a little fresh dill.

Directions

Puree the beets, blueberries and sea salt until smooth. Mix the cashew butter with the soy milk, vinegar and sea salt until smooth and fluffy. Let stand 5 minutes to thicken further.

When ready, blend the 1 cup water into the blueberries until.smooth. Add 2t cashew mixture to the blueberries and blend. Season to taste. Ladle out and garnish with the remaining cashew mixture, either in a dollop or in a nice paisley design.

Brown lentil, toasted millet bowl with spinach, kale, and sun-dried tomatoes

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Stir fried with tamari, garlic, scallions and embellished with spiral cut carrots, raisins, milled flax seed, and nutritional yeast, this is a simple to prepare and nutritious dish. Makes a large bowl for 2 or a filling side dish for 4.

Ingredients

For the lentils and millet
2 cups water
1/3 cup dry brown lentils
1/3 cup hulled millet
1 ‘sprig’ kombu (about 1″)

For the sauce
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes (dehydrated, not jarred)
1/2 cup boiling water
2 scallions, finely chopped
1T fresh garlic, minced
1T tamari

For spinach and kale
2 cups packed baby spinach
1 cup packed kale, stemmed coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raisins (I use sultana)
About 1 cup, spiral cut carrots

For the garnish
2T cold milled brown flax seed
2T nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: A little lemon or lime juice will add some sour flavour. Some chopped olives will add some additional flavour and fat. A mix of orange and purple carrots, a little spiral cut golden or red beet will add a lot of colour and some additional nutrition.

Directions

Start the millet and lentils, and then assemble the rest of the bowl. In a small pan with a lid, toast the lentils and millet for about 3 minutes (stirring frequently). Add the water and kombu. Bring the pan to a light boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Remove from heat, remove the kombu, and let fluff about 5 minutes.

At about the 15 minute mark, bring half a cup of water to a boil and add it to the the sun-dried tomatoes to rehydrate. Set aside.

While the lentils and millet are fluffing, add the spinach, kale and raisins to a large bowl. Using a spiralizer or a mandoline, cut the carrots in fine, noodle like shapes, Or if you prefer, use a box grater to grate, or use a knife to cut matchsticks. Mix the milled flax seed and nutritional yeast.

When the millet has fluffed, bring the pan back to heat on medium heat. Add the tamari, the water from the sun-dried tomatoes, the scallion, and the garlic. Stir fry for about 2 minutes until the water has been absorbed.

Add the millet and lentils to the greens and stir
thoroughly to combine. Sprinkle in the the nutritional yeast and flax seed. Stir to combine. Let stand about 5 minutes to wilt the greens lightly. Season to taste, bowl out, and serve!

Miso soup with tofu, shiitake mushrooms and kale

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Simple and nourishing, this makes 4 small bowls or 2 large ones.

Ingredients

1T water
2 scallions, minced about 4″ green reserved for garnish
1 cup shiitake mushroom caps, stemmed and sliced 1/4″
250g tofu, 1/4″ cubes
1T tamari
1T lemon juice
4 cups water
1 ‘spring’ dried kombu, about 1″
2-3T red miso (use low sodium if you can find it)
1 cup green kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
Coarse sea salt to taste
1/2 cup purple carrots, matchsticked

Optional: 1/2t toasted sesame oil add some additional flavour to this dish, and a teaspoon of white sesame seeds will add colour, flavour and nutrition. I often add nori flakes to mine as a garnish as well. White and yellow miso often have a milder flavor than red. Regular orange carrots are also fine for this dish and add a lovely colour contrast.

Method

Bring a medium pan to heat on medium high heat. Add the scallions and water and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the shiitake and tofu stir fry for 2 minutes.
Add the tamari and lemon and deglaze the pan. Stir fry for another 2 minutes or until most of the moisture has been absorbed, the tofu is lightly browning, and the pan is starting to dry again.

Add water and kombu. Bring to a gentle simmer and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat, remove the kombu, add the miso and stir to combine. If you’re new to miso, add 2T to start and add more to taste. Add the kale and stir to combine.

Let stand a minute to wilt the kale lightly. Season to taste. Ladle out. Garnish with scallion greens sliced on an angle and the matchsticked carrots, and serve.

Note, miso ‘tea’ also makes a light, simple snack or breakfast. Bring a cup or so of water to a boil, pour over a 2-3 teaspoons of miso in a mug, and stir until dissolved.

Portobello mushroom, potato and asparagus bowl

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With asparagus, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, kale and kalamata olives, this is a simple, colourful bowl with a lot of rich flavours. This makes a smaller side dish for 4 or a larger bowl for 2.

Ingredients

For the potatoes
2 cups potatoes (quartered minis or 1/2″ dice)
1T tamari
1/2T balsamic vinegar
Coarse sea salt to taste

For the mushrooms and asparagus
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, (dehydrated, not jarred) rehydrated in 1/4 cup boiling water and chopped
2T water
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/4 cup scallions, minced, 4″ reserved for garnish
1T fresh garlic, minced
2 portobello mushrooms, stemmed and sliced, 1/4″
1T lemon juice
1 cup asparagus, cut in 1″ pieces (6-8 stalks)
1 cup artichoke hearts (not jarred), chopped
1 cup packed green curly kale, stemmed, coarsely
chopped
2T kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2T nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Instructions

Start the potatoes, then make the mushrooms. Preheat the oven to 450F. Toss the potatoes in the tamari and vinegar. Roast on the middle rack in a baking sheet or roasting pan until browned and fork tender, turning periodically. Expect about 30 – 40 minutes. Ovens vary; use the texture and colour of the potatoes as a guide. Don’t overcook. Remove from heat when done and set aside.

At about the 20 minute mark, combine the sun-dried tomatoes with the boiling water to rehydrate. At the 30 minute mark, bring a large or wok with a lid to heat on medium high. Add the 2T water, sea salt and scallions and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the garlic and stir fry for 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and stir fry for about 3 minutes, until they start to loose their moisture.

Add the lemon. Toss to combine. Lower heat to medium low, cover and let simmer for 5 minutes. Return heat to medium high. Stir fry until the pan begins to dry (should be 2-3 minutes). Add the asparagus and artichoke hearts. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the water from the sun-dried tomatoes. Stir fry for another 5 minutes or so until
the pan begins to dry again. Add the kale. Stir fry for 1 minute.

Remove from heat. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, olives, potatoes, and nutritional yeast. Stir to combine. Let stand, covered, 2-3 minutes for the potatoes to absorb some of the flavour of the dish. Season to taste. Bowl out, garnish with scallions cut on an angle and serve.

Tomato, artichoke drop soup with brown rice and kale.

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A warm and filling soup. The tapioca binds the artichoke and tofu into a nice, lightly chewy drop dumpling. This makes 4 small bowls or 2 large ones.

Ingredients

For the soup
1/4 cup long-grain brown rice
4 cups vegetable stock
2 cups tomato passata (or tomato puree)
1/4 cup scallions, minced, with about 4″ green reserved
for garnish
1T garlic
1/2T dried basil, rubbed
1t dried oregano, rubbed
1/2t dried thyme, rubbed
1T lemon juice
1/4t black pepper, freshly ground
2 cups green curly kale, stemmed and coarsely chopped
2T nutritional yeast
1/2 cup carrots, matchsticked (I use purple carrots)
Sea salt and black pepper to taste.

For the artichokes
120g extra firm, high quality tofu
1/4t coarse sea salt
1/2 cup artichoke hearts (not jarred)
1/4 cup tapioca flour
1/2t dried ground turmeric
1/2t baking powder
1/4 cup cold water

Optional: Replace the basil, oregano, and thyme with a tablespoon of “Italian herbs” mix or herbes de Provence.

Method

In a large pan with a lid, toast the rice for 2-3 minutes on medium high. Add the stock, return to a simmer, cover reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 – 40 minutes until the rice is soft. Add the passata, herbs and spices to the soup. Cover and simmer another 10 minutes.

While the soup finishes, puree the artichoke ingredients until smooth. Uncover the soup and increase the heat to medium to return the soup to a light boil. Scoop about 1T artichoke mixture onto a spoon and drop into the soup. Repeat (quickly) until all of the mixture has been dropped.

Simmer for another 2 minutes (be sure not to overcook). Add the kale and nutritional yeast. Stir to combine. Add the carrots, reserving a few for garnish if you like. Let stand 2 minutes to cool. Season to taste. Ladle out, garnish with scallion green sliced on an angle and serve.

Pepper, tomato and onion stew (lecsó) with black lentils and kale

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Inspired by lecscó, my version adds a little nuance with the poblano pepper and rounds the dish out with some kale and black lentils. Shown here with freshly made spätzle (gluten free, plant-only) dusted with nutritional yeast, but fresh bread, roasted or mashed potatoes, rice or similar accompaniments should all go well.

Ingredients

1/3 cup black beluga lentils
3/4 cup water
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu (about 1/2″)
4 scallions, minced (about 1/2 cup)
1/4t coarse sea salt
1 cup red peppers, cored, seeded, 1/3″ dice
1 cup Hungarian peppers, cored, seeded, 1/3″ dice
3/4 cup poblano peppers, cored, seeded, 1/3″ dice
1/2T smoked paprika
1/2T coconut sugar (or a little maple syrup)
1/2T lemon juice
1 cup tomato passata (or puree)
1/2 cup vegetable stock
2 cups green curly kale, stemmed and chopped
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: There are a number of regional variations for lecsó, but tomatoes, onions, and peppers form a common base. Use some fresh tomatoes, slice the peppers and onions in strips rather than dice and use green pepper rather than poblano for a more traditional version. If you do, saute the onions first, add the paprika and sugar and then the rest of the peppers. Lecsó is often stewed. You ca make this dish in a slow cooker if you prefer (just be careful not to overcook the peppers). A tablespoon of cooking oil will also add some richesse to this dish.

Method

Bring the water to a boil in a small pan with a lid. Add the lentils and kombu. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the kombu and set the lentils aside to cool for 5 minutes, covered.

With the lentils underway, bring a large frying pan to heat on medium high. Add the peppers, scallions and sea salt. Stirfry for 3-5 minutes, or until the peppers are starting to wilt. Reduce heat to medium. Add the paprika and coconut sugar. Saute for 3-5 minutes.

When the pan starts to brown, add the lemon juice and deglaze. Add the passata and stock, and return to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for about 20 minutes uncovered or until the passata has been reduced by about 1/3, stirring periodically (but gently).

When ready, add the kale and black lentils. Stir to combine. Let stand 2-3 minutes to cool and to wilt the kale. Season to taste and serve.

Shoestring sweet potato, black bean, and kale bowl with caper aioli

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A fairly simple but rich bowl with sweet potatoes, kale, black beans and caper aioli. This makes a good size bowl for 2 or a small side dish for 4.

Ingredients

For the sweet potatoes
3 cups sweet potato, peeled and spiral cut
1T sriracha (or similar or to taste)
1/2T curry powder
2T tamari
1/4t coarse sea salt
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the mushrooms, kale and black beans
2T water
1/4t coarse sea salt
2 scallions, minced
1/2 cup maitake mushrooms, finely chopped
1 cup cooked black beans
2 cups green curly kale, coarsely chopped
1/2T lemon juice
2T nutritional yeast
1/4t black pepper, freshly cracked (or to taste)
Sea salt and black pepper to taste

For the aioli
2T sesame seed butter
2T white pickling vinegar
1t lemon juice
1T fresh garlic, minced
1t prepare brown mustard
1T pickled capers, minced
1/2T dried green herbs (I use herbes de Provence)

Optional: Shoestringing the potatoes will require a spiral slicer, although a mandoline will give you something similar. If you have neither, dice the sweet potatoes 1/4″ and adjust the cook time as noted below. If you make the beans from scratch, start with 1/3 cup and 1 cup of water (or make them in a batch). I stew them with kombu. A little sun-dried tomato added with the kale would also go well in this dish.

Method

Start the sweet potatoes, and then make the kale and then the aioli.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut the sweet potatoes. Mix the sriracha, tamari, curry powder and sea salt. Toss the sweet potatoes in the mixture until well coated. Bake evenly distributed on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper on the middle rack until crisp. Expect about 30 – 40 minutes. Stir periodically to ensure even coverage. Remove from heat when done.

Not, the potatoes should be well-distributed to increase the amount of air flow available to them (so that they crisp). The more open air they get, the better. If you dice the sweet potatoes, bake until fork tender. Ovens vary; use the colour and texture as your guide.

At the 25 minute market, mix the ingredients for the aioli in order, up to but not including the capers, until emulsified and fluffy. Add the capers and green herbs, stir to combine and let stand while you saute the kale.

Bring a large frying pan to heat on medium. Add the scallions, sea salt and water. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Add the maitake mushrooms and stir fry for 3 minutes. Add the kale and stir fry for another 2 minutes. Add additional water by the tablespoon if the pan gets too dry.

Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Remove from heat. Toss with the nutritional yeast and black pepper. Let stand to cool while you plate the sweet potatoes.

To plate, add the sweet potatoes in an even, shallow layer. Season the beans, kale and mushrooms to taste and layer on top. Dollop with the aioli and serve.

Chickpea, potato and kale soup

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With a light tomato, herb broth, this is a rich but simple soup with lots of colour and flavour. This makes 4 small bowls or 2 good sized ones.

Ingredients

2T water
1/4t coarse sea salt
2T scallions, minced, 2″ – 3″ green reserved for garnish
1/4t black pepper, freshly cracked
1/4t dried red chilis (or to taste)
1t dried basil, rubbed
1/2t dried oregano, rubbed
1/4t dried thyme, rubbed
1T fresh garlic, minced
1 cup cooked chickpeas
3/4 cup white potatoes, 1/3″ dice
1/2T lemon juice
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup tomato passata (or puree)
2 cups green curly kale, chopped coarsely
1T nutritional yeast
Coarse sea salt, nutritional yeast, and black pepper to taste

Optional: Garnish with 2T minced fresh basil at the end (in lieu of dried at the beginning) to add flavour and colour. Add more passata for a stronger tomato flavour. A tablespoon oil for the saute in place of the water will add some richesse. Use white beans instead of chickpeas for something more traditional. About 1/3 cup dried chickpeas will yield 1 cup cooked. I usually make my chickpeas with kombu in a batch so that I always have some on-hand.

Method

Bring a medium pan with a lid to heat on medium high. Add the scallions, green herbs, chilis, black pepper, 2T water and sea salt. Water saute for 1 minute. Add the garlic and saute another minute. Add the potatoes and chickpeas and saute for another minute or so. Add the lemon juice and deglaze the pan. Add the stock. Bring the pan to a simmer, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.

Add the passata, cover and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add the kale and stir to combine. Add the nutritional yeast and stir to combine. Let stand 1 minute for the kale to wilt. Season to taste, and ladle out. Garnish with additional nutritional yeast if you like and scallion green sliced on an angle.

Slow-cooked mushroom stew with cabbage, potatoes, and carrots

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A simple, warming stew that can go straight into a slow-cooker, shown here with a gluten free soda bread bun. This recipe easily doubles (if you have a slow-cooker to suit).

Ingredients

3 large portobello mushrooms (about 3 cups), stemmed,
1 1/2″ dice
2 cups packed shredded green cabbage (I use coleslaw mix)
2 cups potatoes, 3/4″ dice (I use quartered grelots)
1 cup carrots, 1″ segments (I use purple)
1 cup scallions, minced, 3″ – 4″ green reserved for garnish
2 cups vegetable stock
1/2t coarse sea salt
2T cooking oil (I use olive oil for this)
1 ‘sprig’ dried kombu (about 1″)
2T tomato passata (or puree)
1T tamari
2T fresh garlic, minced
2T tapioca flour dissolved in 2T water
Coarse sea salt and black pepper to taste

Optional: A tablespoon smoked paprika, some chopped green kale toward the end, black olives, red chili flakes, curry powder and other ingredients will give the stew some additional colour, flavour, and nutrition. You can substitute arrowroot for the tapioca, or even cornstarch if
your slow-cooker provides enough heat. Or you can add 2T wheat flour dissolved in the stock at the beginning for something more traditional. Soda bread, buns, pita, and other breads make a nice accompaniment.

Method

Add all of the ingredients up to but not including the tapioca flour to a slow-cooker. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are fork tender. Expect 4-6 hours on high or longer on low. Note, the size and power of the slow-cooker will produce variation in the time to cook the dish. Adjust the temperature and time expectations based on yours.

When the potatoes and carrots are ready, remove the kombu. Add the tapioca flour mixture and stir to distribute. Return to heat for another 10 – 20 minutes or so, stirring periodically until the tapioca has thickened. Once the tapioca has thickened, season to taste, ladle out, garnish with scallions and serve.