Deviled Goodness (Vegan Deviled Eggs)

You can't have a holiday weekend without serving Vegan Deviled Eggs.   Seriously these are amazing!  My husband could not get over how much they tasted like the real deal, texture and everything.  As I mentioned in previous posts, I have never liked eggs (no matter how they were prepared)...but with one exception...my Mom's Deviled Eggs.  Everything she made tasted great and I think that she would love these too!

This recipe is so simple, but you'll need a mold to create the cashew-agar base to hold the piped tofu mousse.  I used a ceramic deviled egg holder that I had in cabinet, but it was a little shallow.  I'm going to look on line and see if I can find a deeper base, but other than that they were absolutely perfect...beautiful and delicious.

This recipe makes about 36 portions so you will need more than one mold because the agar will solidify if you don't work quickly.  Or you can cut the tofu mouse recipe in half and pipe less.

Cashew Cream-Agar Egg Base:

1/2 cup cashew cream, (1/2 cup cashews blended in a high speed blender with 1-1/4 cup water.  If you don't have a high-speed blender then you will need to soak the cashews for about 4 hours and then strain through cheesecloth or a fine strainer.  You will not use all the cashew cream but it will keep in the refrigerator covered for up to five days.)

3/4 warm water

1 tsp Agar-Agar powder (I purchased my powder at an Asian market, for $2.99, but Whole Foods carries the agar flakes, but it will cost you about $9.00.  Also, if you use the flakes then you'll need to increase the amount to 1 Tbsp and boil it a little longer.

1/4-1/2 tsp Black Salt (found in an Indian or Asian market--it's actually pink and very salty.)

Method:  

• Lightly oil mold with vegetable oil and set aside.  
• Blend cashews with water and measure out a 1/2 cup of cashew cream.  Whisk in black salt and set aside.
• Pour 3/4 cup water into a measuring cup and warm in the microwave for 30-40 seconds.  Whisk in agar-agar powder and then place back in the microwave for 1-2 minutes and let it boil.  
• Place cashew cream into microwave for 30-40 seconds to warm and then whisk mixture into hot agar water making sure there are no lumps.
• Skim off any bubbles off the top before pouring into mold, or pop bubbles with a toothpick.
• Let mold sit on the counter for about 15 minutes before moving and placing in the refrigerator to chill for about one hour to harden completely.

Once hardened, using a small pairing knife, remove cashew-agar base and place on a plate.  Then using a small melon baller or spoon, scoop out a small portion of the base without breaking through the bottom.  Then pipe in the tofu mousse and chill for about an hour before serving.  Also, the agar will not melt or soften if these are left out for a little while at room temperature, but they are better served chilled.  So if you are serving a lot of people, I would serve a dozen at a time and keep the others chilled.

Tofu Mousse:

(You can cut the recipe in half if you are making less portions)

7.5 oz organic sprouted extra firm tofu (I used Wildwood--it comes it two sealed pouches, 7.5 oz each).

1/4 cup Follow Your Heart original organic Vegenaise

2 tsp spicy brown mustard

1 tsp turmeric powder

1/2 - 3/4 tsp black salt

1 tsp apple cider, or white wine vinegar

Method:

• Drain tofu and press dry with paper towels and place in a food processor.
• Add all ingredients except for black salt and blend until smooth and creamy.  You may need to add a little more Vegenaise to get the right texture.
• Add black salt to taste and then pipe or spoon mousse into base.
• Garnish with paprika and chives and chill for about one hour before serving.

  

   

Beet Sliders with Dill Aioli and Crispy Onion Strings

I have made vegan burgers with just about every ingredient combination you can imagine (beans, mushrooms, rice, lentils, tempeh, TSP, nuts/seeds, gluten, etc.) and the texture is always off.  They are very flavorful but they tend to be either mushy, gummy, crumbly, or dry and so when I saw these Beet Sliders featured on Diner's, Drive-In's and Dives the other day, I knew that I had to make them for the 49ers vs. Seahawks game yesterday.  (Just a side note--bummed that the 9ers lost...:-(, but go Denver--I like Payton Manning--he's a classy guy!)  Did you happen to notice that my sliders are the same colors as the 49ers uniforms...:-)!

Anyway, back to the sliders.  I served these with two sauces:  a Dill-Green Goddess Aioli and a Tarragon-Spicy Mustard Aioli.  The dill aioli was the favorite, but the tarragon-mustard was a close second--such a classic combination.  To make the aioli dressings I used 1/2 cup Vegenaise and a 1/4 cup sour cream in each bowl.  I then added finely minced dill, green onion and parsley to one bowl, and finely minced tarragon and spicy brown mustard to the other bowl.  I added fresh lemon juice, salt and pepper to each and whisked until smooth.

For the sliders, I purchased beets that were about 3" in diameter, all about the same size and I poached them in a liquid made up of:  water, diced onion, carrots, celery, garlic cloves, fresh dill, fresh thyme, bay leaf, coriander seed, caraway seed, black peppercorns, and salt.  I simmered them for about 1-1/2 hours until tender, let them cool, peeled them and with a 2-1/2" cookie cutter cut them the same size 1/4" thick.  Before serving, I seared them in olive oil, salt and pepper, which gave them a great texture.

The most difficult part about these sliders was locating the perfect size and textured bun.  I went to Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Safeway and Lucky's and I purchased three different bags of buns, which are now taking up my freezer.  I wanted them the exact size of my beets, but I didn't want the bread to be too dense.  It all worked out and the beet to bun ratio was perfect! 

Finally, I shaved red onion very thin on a mandolin and topped each slider with onion, arugula and aioli of choice.  I was thinking about serving them with fries but went with the crispy onion stings.  I used one large sweet Maui onion (serves 2-3 people), shaved thinly on a mandolin and set up a dredging station (wet:  2 cups almond milk with 1/4 cup hot sauce, dry:  2 cups flour, 1/4 cup cornstarch, salt and pepper).  Using a candy thermometer, I heated 1 qt canola oil to 380 degrees and deep fried the onion strings until golden brown, drained on paper towels and sprinkled with sea salt!

These were so yummy and so easy to make that I will probably never go back to making burgers the other way!    

    

Tuscan White Bean Quesadilla with Balsamic Glaze

On Friday I'm always looking for a quick and easy dinner and this couldn't be simpler.  You can make the white bean spread from scratch or doctor up your favorite white bean hummus.  The key to this quesadilla is to make sure that the bean mixture is firm so that it is easy to cut.  

 

Top with a marinated salad of cherry tomatoes, arugula, capers and kalamata olives or eggplant capanata and drizzle with balsamic glaze. 

Ingredients:

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained and dried really well with a towel
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced small
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning, or 2 tsp fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, fennel), minced
Pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1/2-1 tsp grated lemon zest
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Whole wheat tortillas
1 package Daiya Havarti Wedge Cheese, shredded
Balsamic Glaze
Tomato-Caper-Olive Arugula Salad

Method:

• Saute onion, garlic and Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes until soft.
• In a food processor, process beans until mostly smooth, adding 1 tbsp of bean fluid or water.
• Remove bean mixture place in a bowl and stir in onion mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Add shredded cheese, bean mixture to tortilla and saute until golden brown. 

• Cut into wedges and garnish with balsamic glaze and salad.

Happy Friday!  


    

Spicy Noodle...The Sogo Tofu Way

There is a vegan tofu restaurant, well it's not really a restaurant but more of a carry out place near my house.  They make all of their tofu handmade from scratch and they have everything from fresh tofu, to fried bean curd, to tofu skins, to textured protein, you name it--probably 50 different varieties of tofu and dishes which you can choose from.  And it's all organic!  No one speaks any English but you walk in and point to all the dishes you want and they wrap them up to go--in huge portions!  I usually stop in there once a week when I don't feel like cooking and one of my husband's favorite dishes is the "Spicy Noodle".  It is made with four ingredients:  noodles, housemade textured soy protein, edamame and spicy chili oil.

There is no way that I can walk into a restaurant and try a dish without coming home and making it and putting my own spin on it.  I got this trait from my mom.  Whenever we would go out to eat, or over to someone's house she would come home and make the dish and it was better than the one we tried.  And I have to say Sogo Tofu that my dish is more flavorful, but what you do with tofu at your shop is amazing and I'm so glad that you're in my neighborhood!

Ingredients:

1 lb whole wheat spaghetti pasta, cooked and drained
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Textured Vegetable Protein, re-hydrated and drained really well pressing on the solids through a fine mesh strainer
1 to 1-1/2 cups Islands Teriyaki Sauce (I like this teriyaki sauce the best)
1 cup frozen, organic edamame beans, thawed
Spicy chili oil to taste--a little goes a long way--but I like it spicy  (I purchase mine from Sogo Tofu, but you can easily find a jar of Spicy Chili Oil at an Asian market or regular supermarket)
1/2 cup green onions sliced on a bias

Note:  You may want to add more or less teriyaki sauce and edamame once you toss the pasta all together--especially if you let the pasta sit for awhile because it will absorb the sauce.  This dish can be served hot, room temperature or cold.

Method:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.  Drain, rinse and drain again, and place in a large bowl
• Re-hydrate textured vegetable protein and drain really well and put in pasta bowl
• Stir in teriyaki sauce, thawed edamame and chili oil to taste
• Plate and garnish with green onions and serve with extra sauce if needed

I served my Spicy Noodle with a side salad of pickled watermelon radish, bokchoy, green onion and cilantro!    

Healthy Fast Food

Every once in awhile I get a craving for fast food.  We live near a Veggie Grill and we'll stop in several times a year, but it is nice to make it at home knowing that it's really not that bad for you.  We don't eat this type of food every month but as the year-end draws near, I feel that I have to get in my fix for all that is bad and start the new year fresh and healthy.  Seriously though--there's not a lot to give up January 1.  Sure maybe I indulge in sweets sometimes, or don't exercise enough, but in terms of our diet we eat a really healthy and balanced diet. 

I made peppered seitan from scratch the other night and it is perfect shaved and served with BBQ sauce on a sandwich.  Really tender and full of protein.  Most people think that seitan is just like eating bread (full of carbs) because it is made with gluten, but all the starch has been removed during the rinsing and kneading process and you are left with pure protein. 

For the BBQ sauce, I whipped up a quick batch using six ingredients.  BBQ sauce is a condiment that you never should buy.  If you have organic ketchup, mustard, apple cider vinegar, molasses and brown sugar in your pantry then you can make BBQ sauce from scratch.  I added a little soy sauce and sriracha for heat.  And what is a BBQ sandwich without coleslaw.  I made mine with shaved green cabbage, shaved Brussels sprouts, green onion, apple cider vinegar, and a little Earth Balance Organic Mindful Mayo.  Super healthy and adds a nice crunch!

Finally, for the fries I love Cascadian Farms Shoe String French Fries made with organic potatoes, canola oil, apple juice concentrate and citric acid.  No artificial flavors or partially-hydrogenated oils.  Just pop them in the oven for 15 minutes and sprinkle with a little sea salt.  

Tonight's dinner was quick, delicious and healthy in terms of fast food and perfect for a once in awhile treat!

Grilled Portobello Mushroom, Pepper & Onion Sub

When my sister and I were growing up my father was the maintenance contractor for an apartment complex about a mile from where we lived.  Since our apartment complex did not have its own pool my sister and I were given permission to swim at the other complex during the summer.  I remember that we would be the first kids to arrive at 10:00am when the lifeguards unlocked the gates and the last to leave at 7:00pm when they closed.  Needless to say that sometime around 2:00pmish we would be starved and so we would walk another mile to an Italian sub shop in Irvington, Baltimore.

They had the best subs/hoagies (whatever you want to call them) that I've ever tasted in my life.  Now I've never been a big fan of eating meat and so I would order mine with just grilled peppers, onions, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes and their "SECRET" sauce.  The sauce totally made the sub--and I would of been happy just eating the sauce alone.  I don't know what ingredients they used but I think that I'm pretty close with this recipe.  Funny how certain memories remain with you your entire life...really good memories that I shared with my sister!

My Secret Sauce:

1 cup Follow Your Heart Vegenaise

1/4 cup organic ketchup

1/4 cup Louisiana Hot Sauce (more or less to taste)

1 tbsp vegan worcestershire sauce

1/3 cup minced dill pickle

1/4 cup minced pickled jalapeno or hot cherry peppers (more or less to taste)

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and chill until ready to use.
  

 

Roasted Cranberry & Quince Chutney

Today was supposed to be my cooking day.  I had planned to make a Roasted Cauliflower & Leek Tart with Port Glaze, a Herb-Focaccia, Chestnut & Cranberry Stuffing, and a Roasted Cranberry & Quince Chutney.  Well, at least I was able to make one dish...one out of three is not too bad considering how lousy I feel.  How can something as simple as a common cold make you feel so bad.

 
Anyway this cranberry chutney couldn't be easier.  A little dicing, mixing and baking and it's done.  I know that quince can be hard to find at the market so you can substitute pear, or apple.  I actually used a combination of quince and Asian pears for this recipe, and when I make it again for Thanksgiving I will use Asian pears only.  I really like their flavor and texture.  The pears are shaped like an apple, but have the skin of a pear.  And they taste just like buttered-rum, seriously...they melt in your mouth.  But you may not be able to find Asian pears at your market either.  Again, just substitute regular pears or apples or a combination of each.

Ingredients:

1 12oz pkg whole fresh cranberries
2 quince, peeled and diced into 1/4" dice
2 Asian pears, peeled and diced into 1/4" dice
3/4 cup unpasteurized apple cider or apple juice
1/2 cup filtered water
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup minced shallot (about 1 large)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
Zest of one orange
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cardamon
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp kosher salt

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Place all ingredients into a bowl and mix really well.
• Pour into a 9x13 casserole dish and bake for about 1 to 1-1/2 hours, tossing every 30 minutes until fruit is soft and liquid is absorbed.
• Remove from oven, place in a serving bowl and let sit until it's room temperature.
• The chutney can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for about a week.

Moroccan Preserved Lemons

I have never been to Morocco but we came really close in 1999 when my husband and I traveled to Spain and to Gilbraltar.  High atop the Rock of Gilbraltar you can see the coast of Africa and Morocco.  We discussed going but then we would of had to rearrange our itinerary and would of missed traveling to several cities in southern Spain.  Looking back, it's unfortunate that we didn't go since it was so close and would of been a short ferry ride or plane flight.  Oh well, hopefully one day we'll go back and make Morocco a definite stop on our itinerary. 

Until then, I love making and eating Moroccan cuisine (vegetable tagines/stews that are spicy, sweet and savory, and couscous flavored with nuts and dried fruits), but you can't make Moroccan cuisine without using preserved lemons.  I've purchased preserved lemons at Whole Foods or other specialty markets but they just don't taste the same as making your own.  And they're really easy to make.  You just need to plan accordingly because they take about a month to preserve but will last up to six months.

Preserved lemons are pickled in salt and they are one of the most common ingredients (condiment) used in Moroccan cooking.  Normally, only the peel of the preserved lemon is used in cooking and the pulp or flesh is discarded.  I always make a small batch using 3-4 lemons, which seems to work well for the amount of Moroccan dishes I make.

Ingredients:

1 pint mason jar, sterilized

3-4 medium lemons, preferably organic, washed really well

1/3 cup coarse sea-salt

Juice of 4-6 lemons, enough juice to cover the lemons in the jar

Method:

• Sterilize the mason jar and lid before using.
• Wash and dry lemons and cut into quarters, but leave the lemon quarters attached at the stem.
• Coat the inside of the lemons liberally with sea salt and press the lemon closed.
• Press the lemons tightly together in the jar and and cover entirely with lemon juice.
• Store in a cool, dry place shaking the jar every day for three-four weeks.
• Store in the refrigerator for up to six months.
• To use, scoop out and discard pulp and rinse the lemon peel under water to remove any remaining salt.
• Chop, dice or mince and use in your favorite Moroccan recipe.

    

BBQ Seitan Quesadillas with Pineapple Salsa

This recipe for BBQ Seitan Quesadillas is really good.  I had left over BBQ sauce from July 4th that I wanted to use up.  You can either make your own sauce or purchase your favorite brand.  I used original seitan from Sweet Earth, but tempeh would also taste really good, or you could easily make your own seitan.

Charred Pineapple Salsa:

1 fresh pineapple, peeled, sliced into 1/4" rings and cored
2 tbsp finely minced jalapeno, seeded first
2 tbsp finely minced red onion
2 tbsp finely minced cilantro
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Heat a grill pan or skillet on medium-high and cook pineapple slices on both sides until lightly charred and caramelized.  Set aside to cool and then dice and place in a bowl.
• Add all other ingredients and stir to combine and and chill until ready to use.

Guacamole:

1 large ripe Hass avocado, peeled and diced
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tbsp sour cream or Vegenaise
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Mash avocado with a fork until smooth and add other ingredients and stir to combine.

Quesadilla Ingredients/Assembly:

1 8 oz package seitan
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup Daiya Cheddar Cheese
1/2 cup Daiya Mozzarella Cheese
1 red onion, sliced
1 package whole wheat flour tortillas
2 cups red cabbage, thinly sliced
Juice of 1 lime
Cilantro leaves
Canola Oil
Kosher salt and black pepper

Method:

• Slice seitan into strips and lightly fry in a saute pan.  Add BBQ sauce to taste, heat through and set aside.
• In another saute pan, add a little canola oil and saute red onion until caramelized, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Thinly slice red cabbage, add lime juice and salt and pepper to taste.
• To assemble, heat a large saute pan on medium heat and brush lightly with canola oil.
• Lightly coat one flour tortilla with BBQ sauce, sprinkle with cheddar and mozzarella cheese, add strips of BBQ seitan, caramelized onions and top with more cheese.  Press another flour tortilla on top and transfer to saute pan and fry on both sides until golden brown.
• Transfer quesadilla to a cutting board and cut into slices.  Garnish with guacamole, red cabbage, pineapple salsa and cilantro leaves.

Bouillabaisse with Tarragon Butter Crostini

Bouillabaisse is a Provencal Fish Stew originating from the City of Marseilles in the South of France. The most important part of the stew is the broth and the spices that are used that give it its unique flavoring, such as saffron, fennel seed, and orange peel.  Bouillabaisse really reminds me of the Mediterranean and the freshness of the sea and so I wanted to capture those same flavors in my vegan version.  Not only is the broth identical to what you might find in a small cafe in Marseilles, but the different textures used in the soup make it quite satisfying as well.  This is a great soup to enjoy year round, even on a warm summer night.  

I know that the ingredient list looks long, but it's no different than making any other soup from scratch if you are using a homemade stock.  You can also purchase prepared artichoke hearts instead of making your own to save time.

Stock Ingredients:

1 large onion, sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 fennel bulb, sliced, stems and fronds included

4 whole garlic cloves

10 sprigs fresh thyme

5 sprigs fresh parsley

1/2 tsp fennel seed

1/2 tsp coriander seed

1/2 tsp black peppercorns

1 4" piece of kombu (dried kelp)

1 sheet nori (dried seaweed), crumbled

1 cup white wine

Juice of 1/2 lemon, after squeezing juice, add lemon

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

10 cups filtered water

Method:

• In a large dutch oven or stock pot, heat olive oil and saute vegetables until tender.
• Add white wine and cook until reduced by half.
• Add spices, herbs, filtered water, kombu and nori and bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  
• Simmer stock for about an hour until almost reduced by half.  
• Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer and set aside.  You should have about six cups of liquid.

Braised Artichokes:

2 lbs baby artichokes, peeled, tough outer layers removed, stems removed and then cut in half
1 tsp lemon zest
Juice of 1 lemon, plus add the whole lemon after squeezing, cut in quarters
1 tsp orange zest
Juice of 1/2 orange, plus add the half orange after squeezing, cut in half
1 cup white wine
5 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 sprig of fresh rosemary
4 whole garlic cloves
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
Water to cover, about 4 cups

Method:

• Before you start preparing the artichokes, you need to prepare the acidulated braising water first.  This will keep the artichokes from browning while you're trimming the entire batch.  
• When preparing the artichokes, make sure that you peel off the tough outer layers.  It may seem like you're wasting a lot of the artichoke, but there's nothing worse than chewing on a tough piece of artichoke.
• Bring artichokes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook covered until really tender, but still holding their shape, about 30 minutes.
• When artichokes are finished, drain and remove herbs, citrus and garlic cloves.  Set aside.

Soup Base:

1 leek, white and light green parts only, sliced in half lengthwise and then sliced in 1/4 inch slices.  Wash leeks really well in a colander before using.
1 medium onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, diced small
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 tsp saffron threads, crumbled
2 cups tomato puree
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
6 cups prepared stock
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• In a small bowl add white wine and crumbled saffron and let sit for 10 minutes.
• In a large dutch oven or stock pot, add olive oil, onion, celery and garlic and cook until soft.
• Deglaze with saffron-wine mixture and cook until reduced by half, about 4 minutes.
• Add herbs, spices, orange zest, tomato puree and stock and season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Bring soup to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook for about 30-40 minutes until thickened somewhat and flavors have combined.

Soup Ingredients:

1 pound baby fingerling potatoes (or other baby boiling potatoes)
2 fennel bulbs
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 tbsp finely minced parsley
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Method:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Slice potatoes in 1/2, toss with 1 tsp chopped rosemary, 1 tsp chopped thyme, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and salt and pepper to taste.  Roast in oven for 20 minutes until golden brown.
• Slice fennel bulbs in 1/2 lengthwise and then slice into 1/4" thick slices, keeping the core in tact.  Toss with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 20 minutes until golden brown.
• Below is a picture of the cut fennel, before roasting.  You can see that the core is still attached to the leaves so that they don't fall apart while roasting.

• To finish the soup, add cannellini beans, braised artichokes, roasted potatoes and fennel to soup base and heat through.  Add salt and pepper if needed. 
• Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with fresh minced parsley. 
• I served my soup with a toasted crostini smeared with Tarragon Butter. I had some Tarragon Butter leftover from July 4th and I wanted to use it up.  It goes really well the Bouillabaisse.

July 4th BBQ Dinner

As I'm sitting here typing this post, I can hear all the fireworks, the grand finale actually, and so it's almost over...but Happy 4th everyone!  

I love cooking on the 4th of July and I really hope that you'll try these recipes, not just on a holiday weekend, but anytime during the summer!  And once you make the BBQ Sauce, you'll never purchase another bottle again!  I always have it on hand in my fridge.

BBQ Sauce:

1/2 cup bourbon whiskey
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup agave syrup
1/4 cup worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup prepared yellow mustard
2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp allspice
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (or more to taste)
1 24oz bottle of organic ketchup

Method:

• In a medium sauce pan, reduce whiskey by half.
• Add all other ingredients, except for ketchup, and simmer for about 10-15 minutes for garlic to soften and flavors to combine.
• Add ketchup, stir to combine and heat through.
• Remove from heat and set aside.

BBQ Baked Beans:

1 cup navy beans, soaked overnight
1 cup pinto beans, soaked overnight
1 cup lite beer
1/2 cup filtered water
1 medium onion, diced small
4 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 cup BBQ sauce (see above)
1/4 cup molasses
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp agave syrup
2 tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp dry mustard
2 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (pimenton)
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 bay leaf
1/2 tbsp canola oil

Method:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• In two separate sauce pans, cover beans with water and cook until tender, about one hour.  Let beans cool in liquid while preparing other ingredients.  Drain beans and set aside.
  
• In a small saute pan cook onions and garlic until tender about 5 minutes, being careful not to burn.
• In a large bowl add all other ingredients, cooked onions and garlic, and drained beans.  Stir to combine and place in a casserole dish.  
• Cover with foil and and bake in the oven for 3-3 1/2 hours until liquid is absorbed and beans are tender.

 
Roasted Corn & Jalapeno Cornbread:

1 cup fine yellow cornmeal
1 cup unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 cup organic soy milk, plain
1 tsp white wine vinegar
2 tbsp organic unbleached sugar, or agave syrup
6 tbsp canola oil
1 1/2 tsp Ener-g Egg Replacer (plus 2 tbsp water)
2 tbsp minced jalapeno, seeds removed
1 ear of corn, roasted, kernels removed from the cob

Method:

• Preheat broiler or grill and roast corn until slightly charred on all sides.  Let cool, remove kernels from cob and set aside.
• Spray a 9" cake pan with canola spray and set aside.
• Sift dry ingredients together in a medium size bowl.
• In another bowl add vinegar to soy milk and let sit for about 10 minutes.
• In a small bowl whisk together egg replacer and water until frothy.
• Add all wet ingredients together and then add to dry ingredients, stirring with a spatula until combined.
• Pour ingredients into prepared cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes at 325 degrees until cake pulls away from the pan, and a toothpick comes out clean.
• Right before serving, brush top with butter and place under the broiler to brown slightly.

BBQ Soy Curls Sandwich:

1/2 - 3/4 package Butler Soy Curls, rehydrate according to package directions
1 cup BBQ sauce to moisten, more or less
4 Toasted whole grain rolls
Note:  If you don't have Soy Curls, you can use Seitan or Tempeh instead.

Broccoli & Carrot Slaw:

3-4 cups shredded broccoli (or cabbage), I purchase it already shredded at Trader Joe's
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 tsp celery seed
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup Vegenaise (more or less depending on consistency)
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

Roasted Corn with Tarragon Butter:

1 large shallot, minced
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp fresh thyme, minced
1/4 cup Pernod (optional), or water
8 oz softened Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks
2 tbsp minced fresh tarragon
Kosher salt and black pepper to taste
4 ears fresh white or yellow corn on the cob, shucked and roasted under a broiler or on a grill until lightly charred.

Method:

• Add shallot, garlic and Pernod to a small sauce pan and cook on low until Pernod has evaporated and shallots are soft.  Let cool to room temperature.
• Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix to combine.  Season with salt and pepper. 

Watermelon Granita:

 

1 small seedless watermelon

1/3 cup agave syrup

1/2 cup filtered water

Fresh mint leaves

Method:

• Remove rind and dice watermelon and place in a food processor and blend until smooth.  Strain through a mesh strainer.  You should have about four cups of watermelon juice.
• Add agave syrup and water to juice and stir to combine.
• Pour into a 10x13 casserole dish and place in the freezer.
• Every hour remove from freezer and break up ice with the prongs of a fork until it resembles shaved ice.  Takes about 4 hours from start to finish.

To drink, I served Green Tea Lemonade with agave syrup, lemon juice and sparking water.