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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 1/2 lb. ripe cherry tomatoes
1/2 head of garlic
2 sprigs rosemary
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350°F

Toss tomatoes, garlic, rosemary, oil, and salt in a shallow 2-qt. baking dish to combine.
Turn garlic cut side down, then roast tomatoes, tossing 2 or 3 times, until golden brown and very tender, 40–50 minutes.
Let cool slightly.
Remove garlic cloves from baking dish, mash slightly, then return to dish.
Add vinegar and toss to coat.

Serves 6

Serving suggestions: use as pasta sauce, a topping for bruschetta, a grain bowl addition, a side to scrambled eggs, etc.

Inspired by epicurious.com

Photo credit: Chelsea Craig

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1 pound sweet potatoes
1 pound Idaho potatoes
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon organic no-salt seasoning
1/2 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or tajin powder
1/4 teaspoon cumin

Preheat oven to 450°F

Slice potatoes into 1/2 inch thick rounds.
Spread in a single layer in parchment fitted baking sheets.
In a small bowl, mix olive through cumin.
Brush oil mixture on the potato rounds.
Bake until tender and slightly crisp, about 25-30 minutes.
Transfer to a serving platter.

Serves 8

Inspired by a recipe from Siriously Delicious by Siri Daly

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6 cups – 1 inch peeled and cubed sweet potatoes
6 cups – 1 inch cubed pears
1 1/2 cups chopped onions
1 cup dried cranberries
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
24 fresh sage leaves, plus more for garnish
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425°

Combine all ingredients in a large roasting pan, and toss well to coat the vegetables with the oil.
Roast uncovered for 40 minutes.
Serve hot or warm.

Serves 8 – 12

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1 eggplant, medium size
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
28 ounce can diced tomatoes, with juice
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

Preheat oven to 450°

Peel (or not peel) and cut eggplant crosswise into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet fitted with parchment paper. Use 1 tablespoon of the oil to brush the tops of the eggplant slices. Sprinkle tops with 1/4 teaspoon salt and some black pepper.
Roast the slices until bottoms and sides are slightly browned, approximately 10 minutes. Flip the slices over, brush with rest of the tablespoon of oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until crisp and golden, another 5 minutes.
When finished roasting, remove pan from oven.

Reduce oven temperature to 400°.

While eggplant slices are roasting, prepare the tomato sauce. Place 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion, sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens, approximately 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Cover bottom of a 11 x 7 inch baking dish with about 1/2 inch of the tomato sauce. Place a layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce and top with some of the basil. Cover with a thin layer of tomato sauce and repeat until all of the eggplant slices are used up; reserve some of the basil for serving. Sprinkle with breadcrumbs, the remaining salt, lots of black pepper, and drizzle with the remaining oil.
Bake until breadcrumbs are golden and the sauce has thickened, approximately 15 minutes. Let dish rest for 10 minutes before serving. Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Garnish with the remaining basil.

Serves 2-3

Note: You will not even miss the Parmesan. It is that good!

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4 – 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 medium baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
1 small Japanese eggplant, ends trimmed, peeled, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 small zucchini, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 head garlic

Preheat oven to 400°

Coat bottom of 9 inch x 13 inch baking dish with 1 tablespoon oil.
Arrange vegetables in slightly overlapping rows, in baking dish.
Season with salt and pepper.
Place garlic in center of dish.
Drizzle remaining oil over the vegetables.
Bake, swirling baking dish every 10 minutes to distribute oil, until vegetables are tender and garlic is soft, 40 – 50 minutes. This keeps the vegetables moist and tender.
Remove baking dish from oven.
Remove garlic and let stand until cool enough to handle.
Squeeze garlic pulp into a small bowl and mash with a fork.
Spread over vegetables.

Serves 4 – 6

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2 tablespoons olive oil
2 leeks, cleaned, thinly sliced, white and light green parts only
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 teaspoons thyme leaves, optional
1 tablespoon tarragon, chopped, optional
1 cup arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
3 cups vegetable stock, warmed, divided
3/4 cup frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons non-dairy butter
1/2 cup non-dairy Parmesan cheese, grated
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Heat a shallow Dutch oven or sauté pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil.
Add the leeks and cook until almost tender, about 4 minutes.
Add the garlic, thyme and tarragon during the last minute of cooking.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add the rice and brown slightly in pan for 1-2 minutes, until lightly opaque.
Add the wine and allow to reduce by half.
Add 2 cups of vegetable stock and stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer, cover and place in the oven to bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is al dente.
Remove from the oven, stir in the remaining vegetable stock, peas, non-dairy butter
and non-dairy parmesan cheese.
Season with additional salt and pepper and serve.

Serves 4-6

Note: Can substitute medium-sized yellow onion, diced, for the leeks

Inspired by a recipe from the chew.com

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1 head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch thick slices, approximately 4 steaks
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
Pepper
½ cup barbecue sauce, your choice

Brush both sides of each slice of cauliflower with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place cauliflower slices on heated grill and cook for about 5 minutes per side.

Coat each side with barbecue sauce and place back on grill for about 3 to 5 more minutes per side.
Or you can roast the cauliflower “steaks” at 400˚ on a baking sheet fitted with parchment paper for about 30 minutes, flipping them over about halfway through.
Then coat steaks with barbecue sauce and roast for 5 more minutes.

Makes 4 steaks; 1 steak per person

Note:  Do not discard the cauliflower pieces.  If grilling, season pieces with salt and pepper, brush with olive oil.  Wrap first in parchment paper,  then with heavy duty tin foil and place on grill.  If roasting, just add the seasoned pieces to the baking sheet.

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1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup vegetable broth or water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried basil or 1 tablespoon freshly chopped basil

In a medium saucepan or dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium-high heat.
Add green beans, garlic and seasonings.
Sauté for approximately 5 minutes.
Make sure garlic does not burn.
Add liquid.
Bring to a boil.
Cover and turn heat down to medium-low.
Cook for 20 minutes, or until green beans are tender.
Adjust the seasonings.

Serves: 4

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Medium butternut squash; halved, seeds removed
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Preheat oven to 350°.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place butternut squash halves on baking sheet.
Drizzle with olive oil.
Sprinkle with chili powder and cumin.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove squash from oven and drizzle with maple syrup.
Return squash to oven.
Bake 10 more minutes, or until squash is tender.
Slice squash halves into thin slices.

Serves 6-8