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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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1 1/2 cups sliced carrots (thickness of a quarter)
1 1/2 cups sliced onions
1 1/2 cups green pepper strips
1 1/2 cups celery, sliced and peeled
2 tablespoons olive oil
15 ounce can stewed tomatoes
15 ounce can tomato puree
6 ounce can tomato paste
1 cup tomato juice
Juice of 1 lemon
2 – 15 ounce cans kidney beans, drained
15 ounce can chick peas (garbanzo beans), drained
2 large or 4 small garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons dried basil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

Preparation

Heat oil in large skillet on medium heat and saute chopped vegetables
until just barely tender. Transfer to large pot and add
the rest of the ingredients. Mix well. Simmer for about 20 minutes
or until hot.
Season with more salt and/or chili powder to taste.

Serves 4
Do not overcook or vegetables will be mushy.

Yield: approximately 3 quarts

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1 package ready-made pizza dough
4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 red bell pepper, sliced
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick pieces (about 1 3/4 cups)
1 small sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
1 8-ounce block non-dairy cheese, your choice; shredded
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°

Position 1 rack in top third of oven and 1 rack in bottom third of oven.
Spray or brush olive oil on heavy large baking sheet or large pizza pan.
Press or stretch pizza dough to fit either pan.
Brush dough with 1 tablespoon oil.
Toss tomatoes, bell pepper, zucchini, and onion with remaining 3 tablespoons oil in large bowl. Arrange vegetables on large rimmed baking sheet fitted with parchment paper.
Place pizza crust on top rack in oven and vegetables on bottom rack.
Bake until pizza crust is golden brown and vegetables are softened and brown in spots, about 13 minutes.
Remove from oven.
Sprinkle crust with cheese and top with vegetables.
Top with basil and bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 3 minutes.
Cut into slices.

Serves 2 – 4

Note: Inspired by a recipe on epicurious.com

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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

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1/2 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut into 1 inch chunks
6 ounces fresh broccoli florets, about 4 cups
6 ounces fresh cauliflower florets, about 4 cups
4 tablespoons non-dairy butter
4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup almond milk
salt, pepper to taste

In a large pot, over medium heat, melt non-dairy butter.
Add onion and garlic and sauté, until golden, about 6 minutes.
Add potato chunks, broccoli and cauliflower.
Add vegetable broth.
Bring to a boil.
Cover pot and lower heat to simmer.
Cook for approximately 25-30 minutes, or until vegetables are soft.
Uncover pot, turn off heat.
With an immersion blender, puree soup until creamy.
Add salt and pepper to taste.
Add almond milk and puree for 1 more minute.

Serves 6

Note: The soup can be made using a pressure cooker, cutting the cooking time in half.

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2 pounds tomatoes, halved
1 onion, diced
2 large carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups vegetable stock
Olive oil
Non-dairy butter
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place tomatoes on a roasting sheet, sprinkle with enough olive oil to coat and season with salt and pepper.
Roast in oven for 30 minutes.
In a large pot, heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil over medium.
Add onions and carrots, and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, until vegetables begin to soften.
Add garlic, and sauté for another couple of minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Add roasted tomatoes to pot and stir.
Add vegetable stock and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
Turn off heat and using and immersion blender, blend soup until tomatoes are pureed. (If you do not have an immersion blender, you may ladle soup into a regular blender, returning to the pot once pureed.)
Add 2 tablespoons of butter and stir until it has melted into soup.
Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Serves 6

Note: Inspired by a recipe from today.com/food

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2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small red onion (peeled, finely diced)
1 bag chopped kale (8 ounces, about 6 cups)
1/4 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon red chili flakes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Hummus

6 pocketless pita breads
2 tablespoons olive oil

In a large sauté pan, add olive oil and heat over high heat.
Add red onion and cook until almost tender, about 4 minutes.
Add kale and allow to cook until slightly wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add vegetable stock, vinegar and chili flakes and allow to cook until wilted, about 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
.
Preheat grill or grill pan to medium heat.
Brush pita on both sides with olive oil and place on grill.
Allow to cook until charred and warmed through, about 2 minutes per side.
Remove pitas to a plate or platter, spread hummus on top of each pita and top with kale.

Note: Can use your favorite flavor of store-bought hummus for these flatbreads.

Inspired by a recipe from  ABC’s The Chew

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IMG_0477
16 ounce jar with lid
small salad/pickling cucumbers, approximately 7
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons pickling spices
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled, optional
1 sprig fresh dill
filtered water

Scrub the cucumbers.
Pack them vertically in the jar.
Add salt, pickling spices, garlic cloves (if using).
Add water to fully cover the cucumbers.
Place dill on top of water.
Cover with tight-fitting lid (some liquid may escape during fermenting).
Place outside on a table, if possible, or inside near a sunny window for 1-2 days, depending on the air temperature (speeds up fermentation process).
Place jar in the refrigerator.
New dills after 3 days, half sours in about a week and a half, and full sours after three weeks.

Note: Deli pickles at a fraction of the price!

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IMG_0474
2 (15 oz.) cans of pitted sour cherries, with their juice
1 cup tart cherry juice
1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
1 stick cinnamon
1 slice (1⁄2″-thick) lemon
1 cup vegan sour cream

Add cherries, with their juice, and tart cherry juice to a 4-quart saucepan.
Add salt, cinnamon stick, and lemon.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until cherries are soft, about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together vegan sour cream and 1⁄4 cup of hot cherry liquid from pan.
Remove pan from heat; stir in sour cream mixture.
Chill the soup.
Before serving, remove lemon slice and cinnamon stick.

Serves 4 – 6