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3 medium Italian eggplants (about 3 pounds)
1/4 cup tahini (sesame seed paste)
Juice of 1 lemon
4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
6 fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive, plus more for serving
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon ancho chili powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Pita wedges, for serving

Prick the eggplants in a few places with a fork. Grill on hot oiled grill pan or outdoor grill, turning often. Or roast the eggplants on a baking sheet in a preheated 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, turning occasionally.

When eggplants are cooled, peel off the skins.
Put the eggplants in the food processor bowl.
Add the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, parsley, oil, salt, paprika, chili powder, and cumin.
Pulse until mixture is fairly smooth. But isn’t totally pureed.
Baba Ganoush will keep for up to 5 days covered in the refrigerator.

Place baba ganoush into a serving bowl and drizzle with oil.
Serve with pita wedges

Makes 3 cups

Recipe from the cookbook, Crossroads
Permission granted by Tal Ronnen, owner of Crossroads, the restaurant that is reinventing vegan cuisine

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1 (8 to 10 oz.) fresh horseradish root, trimmed, peeled, chopped (about 1 3/4 cups)
1/2 cup water, approximately
3 Tablespoons white vinegar
1/4 cup sugar

Blend all ingredients in a food processor or a large blender.
Pour into a mason jar or a suitable container and refrigerate.

Can be prepared up to a week before using.

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1 cup cooked edamame
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh herbs, chopped; optional
2 tablespoons olive oil, more if you like it creamier
salt to taste

In a food processor, combine edamame, tahini, lemon juice, garlic and herbs.
Process until smooth.
Add olive oil through feed tube and process until oil is fully incorporated.

Serves 4-6

Note: If you like your hummus more lemony, use 3 tablespoons of lemon juice.

Inspired by a recipe from Oh My Veggies

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Buddha Bowl
1 1/4 cups brown rice
1 1/2 cups edamame (organic, if possible)
1 1/2 cups trimmed and chopped sugar snap peas (can substitute broccoli… whichever sounds better that day)
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos (my FAVE)
4 cups chopped red cabbage, spinach, kale, or romaine lettuce
2 ripe avocados, sliced
1 cucumber, thinly sliced
1/2 of a small bunch of green onions, sliced
Lime Wedges
Toasted sesame oil (to drizzle on avocado)
Sesame Seeds
Sea Salt

Bring 3 quarts of water to boil.
Add brown rice, stir, cover pot.
Cook on low heat for 25 minutes.
Add sugar snap peas and edamame.
Cook for 4-5 minutes.
Drain and return to pan.
Stir in soy sauce or coconut aminos.

Divide rice mixture between 4 bowls and place all of the veggies on top (check picture for placement).
Cover with Carrot Ginger Dressing, green onions, drizzle sesame oil on avocado, and sprinkle with sesame seeds and sea salt. Add lime wedges.

Carrot Ginger Dressing

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
2 large carrots, peeled and chopped (2/3 cup)
2 tablespoon peeled and chopped ginger
2 tablespoon lime juice
1 1/2 tablespoons honey
1 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Blend all of the ingredients until smooth.

Serves 4

Recipe created by Yelena Crawford
Living Healthy with Yelena

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Dry ingredients

4 earl grey teabags (or 4 teaspoons loose earl grey tea)
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

Wet ingredients

2/3 cup non-dairy milk (such as soy or almond)
1/3 cup light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Frosting

1/4 cup vegetable shortening
1/4 cup vegan butter
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 earl grey teabag (or 1 teaspoons loose earl grey tea)
Boiling water

Preheat oven to 350F.
Line a cupcake pan with 12 cupcake liners, or lightly grease the pan and set aside.

For the cupcakes
Cut 4 teabags open and empty the contents into a small bowl.
If the tea is a fine grind, you are good to go
If the tea you are using has big leaves or is coarser, pulse it in a food processor, blender, or grind in mortar and pestle until it’s a finer grind, but not powder

Add the tea to a large mixing bowl along with all of the dry ingredients: the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt and mix together
In a medium bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients: the non-dairy milk, canola oil, apple cider vinegar and vanilla
Pour the wet into dry, and using a spoon mix until the ingredients are just combined
Don’t overmix

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 cupcake liners and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes until the cakes have risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

For the frosting
Let cupcakes cool completely before frosting.
Put the teabag into a small mug and pour in the boiling water
You will only need about 2 tablespoons of the brewed tea, but make a bit extra just in case
Let steep until cool, do not remove the teabag! You want the tea to be very strong
In a mixer, blend the vegetable shortening, vegan butter, powdered sugar and vanilla extract along with 1 tablespoon of the cold extra strong brewed tea
Add 1 more tablespoon of the brewed tea, if needed to reach desired consistency
Frost cupcakes as desired.

Serves 12

Recipe from It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken website

 

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1 1/2 cups steel-cut oats
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 cups water; or 3 cups non-dairy milk and 3 cups water

Stir oats, water, or a combination of milk and water, and salt in a 5 to 6 quart slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Mixture can stay covered and kept on “warm setting” for up to 2 hours.

Serves 4 or more

Inspired by a recipe from Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100, by Dan Buettner

Note: It is the easiest and best oatmeal recipe I have found. I freeze the left-over oatmeal in single servings. For each serving, I mix in some almond butter, cut up fresh fruit, and dried fruits. The toppings are endless.

Bon Appetit

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1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
2 pinches sea salt
2 pinches black pepper
24 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces (8 cups)
1 tablespoon sliced almonds

CHUNKY MUSHROOM GRAVY
1 yellow onion, cut into ½-inch dice (2 cups)
16 ounces mushrooms, sliced (8 cups)
6 cloves garlic, minced
⅓ cup oat flour
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl, combine thinly sliced onion, flaxseed, salt, and pepper.
Mix well to coat onions; let sit for 5 minutes.
Spread onions on prepared sheet and bake 15 minutes until lightly brown around the edges.
Set aside.
Meanwhile, place green beans in a steamer basket in a large saucepan.
Add water to just below basket.
Bring to boiling.
Steam, covered, about 10 minutes or until tender.
Remove from heat and transfer beans to a 2½-qt. baking dish.

To make gravy, combine diced onion, mushrooms, and garlic in a saucepan over medium heat.
Cover pan and cook, stirring occasionally, for 7 to 10 minutes or until onions start to turn translucent.
The mushrooms will release enough liquid to keep the vegetables from sticking to the pan.
In a medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, broth, vinegar, and Italian seasoning; season with salt and pepper.
Add broth mixture to mushroom mixture; cook for 3 to 5 minutes more, or until gravy thickens.
Transfer half of gravy to a blender.
Purée until smooth.
Return puréed mixture to saucepan and stir well.
Pour the gravy over the green beans in the casserole dish.
Scatter browned onions and almonds over the top.
Bake about 20 minutes or until heated through.

Makes 8 cups
Note: For less crunchy green beans, steam approximately 15 minutes. I substituted unbleached flour for the oat flour.
A recipe inspired from forksoverknives.com

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1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
3 cups almond milk, or other non-dairy milk
3/4 cup vegan or semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon sugar, more to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg, additional nutmeg for garnish, if desired
Marshmallows, optional

In a medium saucepan, bring the water to a simmer.
Add the cocoa and whisk until mostly smooth.
Add milk and bring to a simmer.
Whisk until all the cocoa lumps are dissolved. 
Add chocolate chips and sugar and whisk well, until the chocolate is melted and the mixture is smooth.
Whisk in nutmeg.
Top with marshmallows and grate some nutmeg on top.

Serves 4

Note: Inspired by a recipe on today show.com

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2 cups almond milk (or other non-dairy milk)
2 cups medium shell macaroni
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Hungarian paprika

Preparation:

Spray 11″x7″ baking dish with nonstick oil.
Cook macaroni in salted boiling water for 6 minutes.
Drain macaroni and set aside.
Heat milk in large saucepan.
Add the cooked macaroni shells and cauliflower florets.
Season well with salt and pepper.
Cook for 3-5 minutes, until cauliflower and macaroni are tender and sauce is thickened.
Add butter, cheddar and mozzarella cheeses and mustard.
Stir and cook over low heat until cheese has melted.

Preheat broiler:

Pour macaroni mixture into prepared baking dish.
Top with Parmesan cheese and paprika (can add more cheddar cheese, if desired).
Place casserole in the upper third of over to brown (watch carefully).
Remove from oven.
Ready to dig in…

Serves 4 – 6
Note: To make this a vegan dish, use plant-based butter and non-dairy cheeses.

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Nonstick cooking spray
1 large unpeeled eggplant
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cups marinara sauce, store-bought or homemade
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded or grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400°

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
Spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Cut off and discard both ends of the eggplant.
Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick rounds.
Arrange slices in a single layer on baking sheet.
Brush tops of slices with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Bake for 20 minutes, or until eggplant is soft and golden brown.
Remove from oven.
Top each slice with approximately 1 tablespoon marinara sauce and 1 tablespoon mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle slices with the Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 5 – 10 minutes, or until the cheese is hot and bubbly.

Note: Substitute the cheeses for non-dairy ones to make this vegan.
Inspired by a recipe from Joy Bauer, MS, RDN