Kale Salad

Kale Salad

5 big stalks of kale
salad dressing (see recipe above)
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into strips with a vegetable peeler
3 tablespoons purple cabbage, chopped
1 tablespoon red onion, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon sesame seeds or pumpkin seeds
Dressing
1 cup cashews, rinsed
1 cup water
2 lemons, juiced
2 tablespoons honey
1 tsp, onion powder
1 tsp sea salt (omit if you are massaging kale with salt)
1 tsp Herbamare
2 clove garlic
1/4 tsp of dry mustard powder, optional

Instructions:
First you have to make the dressing. Simply blend all dressing ingredients thoroughly in a food processor or blender.  Allow to chill
Pull the kale leaves off from the tough stem, and slice very fine.
(Optional : sprinkle with sea salt and massage the leaves for a couple of minutes, meaning that you should scrunch handfuls of kale in your hands, release, repeat. The kale will become darker in color and more fragrant. This step improves the taste of raw kale.)

Throw the kale into a bowl, drizzle in the salad dressing (don’t skimp), and toss thoroughly.
Add the red peppers, carrots, cabbage and red onion.
Top with more carrot shreds and a big sprinkle of pumpkin or sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Medley of Brussels sprouts, squash and beets with hazlenuts

Medley of Brussels sprouts, Squash and Beets with Hazelnuts

4 medium size beets, tops trimmed (may use 8-10 smaller beets)

1 ½ lbs Brussels sprouts, halved length

1 ¼ lbs winter squash, or yams

1/3 cup minced shallots or onions

1/3 cup hazelnuts, finely chopped

1 T fresh thyme, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 lemon, juiced

1 tsp of honey

salt to taste

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350 F. Wrap beets in foil or place in a covered baking dish; bake until tender when pierced with a knife, about 1 hour.  Cool.  Peel; cut each beet in to 6-8 wedges.

Cut the squash or yams into cubes and bake in the same way as the beets until just tender 

Steam Brussels sprouts in a saucepan until crisp-tender, about 6 minutes. 

In a sauce pan place the honey, crushed garlic, shallots and lemon juice and sauté until the shallots are tender add the chopped hazelnuts and continue to lightly sauté for about 3 minutes.

Mix all the vegetables together and in a serving dish or platter and toss with the hazelnuts mixture. Toss in the thyme.  Serve hot or chilled. 

Wild Rice & Quinoa Stuffing

 Wild Rice & Quinoa Stuffing

 Recipe By: Michael LaCharite
 Serving Size: 12

 Ingredients:

 1 6 oz. pkg Wild Rice
 1 cup Quinoa
 8 tablespoons Vegan Butter
 5 Celery Stalks, diced
 1 Onion, large, chopped
 1 pound Mushrooms, sliced
 1 16 oz. pkg Pepperidge Farms Stuffing
 2 Tablespoons Flaxseed, ground
 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth

 Directions:

 1. Cook wild rice and quinoa according to package directions. Drain. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

 2. Mix flaxseed with 6 tablespoons of water and set aside.

 3. In a large skillet over medium heat melt butter. Stir in celery and onions. Cook, stirring occasionally for 5-7 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in mushrooms. Cook for 10 minutes or until mushrooms are soft, stirring occasionally. Add vegetables to rice mixture.

 4. Stir in stuffing, toss lightly until well mixed. Stir in vegetable broth and flaxseed mixture and blend. Turn stuffing into a greased 3 quart casserole or into muffin tins. Bake, uncovered, in a 350℉ oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown.

Decontructed Green Bean Casserole

 Decontructed Green Bean Casserole

 Recipe By: Michael LaCharite
 Serving Size: 8

 Ingredients:

 2 Onion, large, halved, thinly sliced
 16 Mushrooms, halved
 2 cups Mushroom Broth
 1 tablespoon Bragg's Liquid Aminos
 1 Tablespoons Olive oil
 2 Celery Stalks, diced, finely
 1 Garlic cloves, minced
 3 tablespoons Earth Balance Butter
 3 tablespoons Flour
 1-1 1/2 cup Soymilk
 1/2 teaspoon Thyme, fresh
 1 1/2 pound Green Beans
 1 teaspoon Panko Bread Crumbs

 Directions:

 1. Add thinly sliced onions to crockpot with 1/2 T olive oil and 1/2 t salt. Stir. Set on high and leave overnight or for at least 6 hours or until dark brown. Stir occasionally. These may be made ahead.

 2. To a small pot add mushrooms, broth and liquid aminos. Cover and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 4-6 hours or until very tender, adding more broth as necessary to prevent drying out. These may be made ahead of time.

 3. In a small frying pan, sauté celery in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and sauté 2 more minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. Melt butter in pan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Slowly stir in warmed soy milk and blend until smooth. (For more flavor add a teaspoon each of the onion and mushroom cooking liquids.) Stir until thickened. Add back in sautéed celery. Season with thyme and salt to taste.

 4. Steam green beans just until slightly tender but not soft.

 5. To plate, lay down a spoon of sauce, top with neat pile of green beans, arrange 4 mushroom halves on beans, top with caramelized onions, grind on fresh black pepper and sprinkle on panko crumbs.

Mushroom Gravy

 Mushroom Gravy

 Recipe By: Happy Herbivore
 Serving Size: 3
 Yield: 1 Cup

 Ingredients:

 1/4 cup Nutritional Yeast
 1/4 cup White Whole-Wheat Flour
 1 cup Nondairy Milk
 1 small onion, diced
 8 oz. White Mushroom, thinly sliced
 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
 1 teaspoon Rubbed Sage (not powdered)

 Directions:

 1. Whisk nutritional yeast and flour together with nondairy milk and set aside.

 2. Line a large frying pan with a thin layer of water and cook onion and mushroom over high heat until the mushrooms start to soften and turn brown and most of the water has evaporated.

 3. Add milk mixture, soy sauce, and sage to the pan, stirring to combine.

 4. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until thick.

 5. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cranberry Sauce

 Cranberry Sauce

 Recipe By: Michael LaCharite

 Yield: 2 Cups

 Ingredients:

 2 cups Cranberries, fresh
 1/2 cup Orange Juice, fresh pressed
 1 tablespoon Orange zest
 2 tablespoons Maple Syrup

 Directions:

 1. Bring cranberries, orange juice, and orange zest to a boil in a saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5-10 minutes, or until the cranberries have popped and are soft but not mushy.

 2. Turn off heat and stir in the maple syrup. Chill. Can be made in advance.

Pecan Pie with Oatmeal

Pecan Pie with Oatmeal


2 eggs , lightly beaten
1 cup sugar
1 stick butter
3/4 cup dark Karo syrup
1/2 cup milk
3/4 cup oatmeal
1 frozen pie shell
1 package pecan halves

Procedure
Pre-heat oven to 350°. Mix all incidents in a bowl. Pour into unbaked 9" pie shell. Top with pecan halves. Bake 50-55 minutes or until cooked through. Top with fresh whipped cream.

Servings: 6
Degree of Difficulty: Easy
Oven Temperature: 350°F
Cooking Time: 50 minutes

The Best Vegan Mashed Potatoes

THE BEST VEGAN MASHED POTATOES
Prep time Cook time Total time
10 mins 30 mins 40 mins
Ingredients
6-8 medium yukon gold potatoes (if large, cut in half)*
1.5 tsp sea salt,
5-6 cloves roasted garlic (or sub minced garlic sautéed for 3 minutes in olive oil)* 3-4 Tbsp vegan butter (such as Earth Balance), melted/softened
1/4 cup fresh chives for topping
Instructions
Place potatoes in a large saucepan or pot and cover with water. Bring to a light boil over medium- high heat, add 1 tsp of sea salt, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes or until very tender. They should effortlessly slide off a knife when pierced with a knife.

While the potatoes are cooking, chop up your chives and measure your butter.

Once tender, drain your potatoes and place them back in the hot pot off the heat for 1 minute to
evaporate any additional water. Then transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Mash your potatoes using either a potato masher or a hand mixer until fluffy. Note: Be careful using
a hand mixer as you can overmix the potatoes and they can become gluey. It’s personally the
method I prefer as I don’t own a potato masher. I just make sure not to overmix.

Add in butter, garlic, salt and stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Lastly top with chives, stir and serve as is or your favorite gravy (or mushroom gravy). Leftovers
will keep in the fridge covered for up to a few days.

Notes
*Use organic potatoes if possible, especially since you leave the skin on.
*To roast a head of garlic, simply cup the top off to expose tips, rub with olive oil, wrap in foil and bake for 50 minutes – 1 hour in a 400 degree oven directly on the rack. Cloves should squeeze out easily once cooled. Discard skins/peel.
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1/4 recipe Calories: 232 Fat: 8.4g Saturated fat: 2.7g Carbohydrates: 37g Sugar: 3g Sodium: 900mg Fiber: 6.2g Protein: 3.3g

Vegan Creamy Pumpkin Soup

Vegan Creamy Pumpkin Soup {Gluten-Free}
Author: Vicky Berman


Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: 25 mins Total time: 30 mins Serves: 3
A creamy and vegan pumpkin soup recipe sprinkled with almonds and fresh rosemary. Simply delicious and healthy too.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil ( optional)
 1⁄2 onion, diced
1⁄2 pumpkin, peeled and cubed
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, diced 4-5 cups vegetable broth
1⁄2-1 cup coconut milk

Instructions:
Heat oil in pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for a few minutes until translucent. Add pumpkin and garlic and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

Add rosemary and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until pumpkin is soft and cooked through. Add salt to taste.

Puree soup in a blender (in batches) and return to the pot.

Add coconut milk and simmer for another minute or two.