Another go-to lunch choice… a bulked up version of this cucumber salad with lots of protein from tofu and beans.   Also very easy to throw together in a rushed morning (but, seriously, would it kill me to plan ahead?).

~ 1/2 can beans (I like cannellini), rinsed and drained 1 cucumber, peeled and chopped 1 red pepper, [...]]]>

Another go-to lunch choice… a bulked up version of this cucumber salad with lots of protein from tofu and beans.   Also very easy to throw together in a rushed morning (but, seriously, would it kill me to plan ahead?).

~ 1/2 can beans (I like cannellini), rinsed and drained
1 cucumber, peeled and chopped
1 red pepper, cored and chopped
~1/4 red onion, finely chopped (don’t over-do it)
1/2 tub extra firm tofu, drained, squeezed or patted dry, and chopped into 1/2 inch cubes

Dress with the following, stirred together:
~1-2 Tbsp dijon mustard (I like a lot of mustard. Specifically, I like Whole Foods Organic German Mustard)
~2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
~ 1 tbsp of some kind of vegan mayonnaise (optional)

The New York Times can be surprise source every so often for hearty vegan recipes. This black bean soup is super rich and deeply flavorful. They call it “black bean soup wth cumin and tomatoes” but for me, it’s the chipotle that makes this soup a standout.

Ingredients: 1 medium onion, chopped 4 garlic cloves, cut into halves 1 cup [...]]]>

The New York Times can be surprise source every so often for hearty vegan recipes. This black bean soup is super rich and deeply flavorful. They call it “black bean soup wth cumin and tomatoes” but for me, it’s the chipotle that makes this soup a standout.

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, cut into halves
1 cup dried washed black beans
6 cups water
1 14-ounce can tomatoes
2 teaspoons cumin (or ground toasted cumin seeds if you have them)
1 canned chipotle pepper

Directions:
Spray the bottom of your soup pot with cooking spray.  Over medium heat, cook half of the onion about 3-5 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the water and beans, removing any floaters. Cook for an hour and a half.

Meanwhile… while that is cooking. Blend the tomatoes, chipotle chili, cumin and the rest of the onion. Heat a non-stick skillet and cook this mixture (stirring often) until it thickens so that when you run your wooden spoon down the middle it leaves a little trench (5-10 minutes). Add a cup of the bean liquid and cook another ten minutes, continuing to stir. When the beans are close to done, add this mixture and cook another 15-30 minutes. Add salt to taste.  Blend with an immersion blender, or in a blender or however you like to make a smooth soup. Serve with vegan sour cream.

Blend the following until you reach a hummus-like consistency. Serve with sliced vegetables – cucumbers, red peppers, etc.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cup cooked black beans 1 Tbs peanut butter 1 clove of garlic, pressed Juice of 1 lime a little [...]]]> Delicious, even if not necessarily photogenic. Eating this right now with sliced cucumber. Aaaahhh….

Blend the following until you reach a hummus-like consistency. Serve with sliced vegetables – cucumbers, red peppers, etc.

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed or 1 1/2 cup cooked black beans
1 Tbs peanut butter
1 clove of garlic, pressed
Juice of 1 lime
a little hot water if it’s not getting to hummus consistency

I moved to California from Austin almost six years ago and still long for the Tex-Mex breakfast and brunch options from places like Trudy’s or the former Las Manitas. The closest I’ve found in these parts is Papalote. Their salsa is excellent and they have great grilled veggie tacos (zucchini/eggplant) or seasoned tofu tacos. When I [...]]]>

I moved to California from Austin almost six years ago and still long for the Tex-Mex breakfast and brunch options from places like Trudy’s or the former Las Manitas. The closest I’ve found in these parts is Papalote. Their salsa is excellent and they have great grilled veggie tacos (zucchini/eggplant) or seasoned tofu tacos. When I was there last weekend, I bought a jar of their salsa and that has me fired up to use it as often as possible. Here’s what I put together to approximate their offerings.

Caramelize an onion by slicing into thin half moons and heating in a skillet over high heat for about 10-15 minutes, lower heat and continue to cook for another 30 minutes or longer until very well done. Set aside. Chop up 4 small zucchinis and cook in the skillet until brown. Combine with the onions. Season and bake some tofu from this recipe here. Heat some refried black beans, and serve with onion/zucchini mixture. Add sliced avocado and salsa if you’ve got it! You can also serve with corn or flour tortillas or I enjoyed this with blue corn tortilla chips.

I wish I were in Austin this weekend! It’s SXSW and I would love to be filling up on Trudy’s breakfast tacos and then heading out to hear some music. To fill the taco void, I made a satisfying tofu scramble for breakfast. And now I will throw on some L’il Cap’n Travis and finish [...]]]>

I wish I were in Austin this weekend! It’s SXSW and I would love to be filling up on Trudy’s breakfast tacos and then heading out to hear some music. To fill the taco void, I made a satisfying tofu scramble for breakfast. And now I will throw on some L’il Cap’n Travis and finish my taxes. Sigh.

Ingredients:
1/2 block of firm tofu, drained
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/2 a small onion, chopped
1 zucchini, chopped
1 roasted red pepper, chopped
vegan american cheese, about a half a slice
chili powder

Directions:
Crumble tofu with your hands into a medium sized bowl. Sprinkle in turmeric, garlic powder, taco seasoning and mix with a fork. Prep a skillet with non-stick spray. Over medium-high heat, cook onions, about 5 minutes. Add zucchini and brown for another few minutes. Add tofu mixture and peppers. Stir in chili powder, to taste. I like a few teaspoons full. Continue to cook over a high heat until slightly browned, about another 5-10 minutes. Add american cheese and stir until melted. Serve with salsa, a side of black beans and some vegan sour cream if you’ve got it. I added a handful of blue corn tortilla chips. Avocado slices would have been a nice addition as well.

The best yellow split pea soup I’ve ever had comes from Harvest & Rowe in downtown SF. In fact, with one exception, the only place I’ve ever had YSPS is at Harvest & Rowe. But never tried to make some myself until last night, and I’m pretty happy with the results.

Ingredients: One crushed clove of garlic [...]]]>

The best yellow split pea soup I’ve ever had comes from Harvest & Rowe in downtown SF. In fact, with one exception, the only place I’ve ever had YSPS is at Harvest & Rowe. But never tried to make some myself until last night, and I’m pretty happy with the results.

Ingredients:
One crushed clove of garlic or about a teaspoon of minced jarred garlic
One large carrot, chopped
Half an onion, chopped
1/2 a pound of yellow split peas
2 roasted red peppers
4+ cups of water
2 low salt bullion cubes

Directions:
Prep a large soup pot with cooking spray, over medium heat cook garlic and onions for about 3-5 minutes. Add split peas, carrots, water and bullion. Cover, turn down the heat to more of a simmer and cook FOREVER. Seriously, the key is to get the split peas totally melted. I probably cooked the soup for about one hour, fifteen minutes, and probably could have gone about another 20 minutes as there were still some firm peas in there. I started with 3 cups of water and kept adding, so keep an eye on it and add water as you need to. I added the red peppers at about the one hour mark.

This amount is about four servings. Double it if you want a bunch of soup.

I’ve been curious about roasting radishes, and noticing a little traffic coming to LRR via radish recipe searches, thought some experimentation might be in order. Since I had luck broiling chickpeas (and having just soaked/cooked some the day before), I thought it would be interesting to throw some radishes on the cookie sheet as well. [...]]]>

I’ve been curious about roasting radishes, and noticing a little traffic coming to LRR via radish recipe searches, thought some experimentation might be in order. Since I had luck broiling chickpeas (and having just soaked/cooked some the day before), I thought it would be interesting to throw some radishes on the cookie sheet as well. I also added some cauliflower.

Ingredients:

1 9 oz bunch radishes
1/4 head cauliflower
chick peas – about a cup
olive oil
salt
garlic powder
juice of half a lemon

Directions:

Prep a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Trim ends of radishes, scrub and quarter.  Toss with a quarter teaspoon olive oil. Place on cookie sheet. Cut cauliflower into florets, toss with a quarter teaspoon olive oil and add to cookie sheet. Toss chickpeas with minimal olive oil and add to cookie sheet as well. Broil for 10 minutes, stirring midway through. Lightly salt and combine in a bowl. Toss with garlic powder and lemon juice.

Lunch!

Note: I also wanted to experiment with roasting some in the toaster oven, found this recipe on Recipezaar, and started off another bunch, prepped much the same way as above (minimal oil, cooking spray on aluminum foil). But then…I got sort of curious about what they would taste like really browned (how I like my other roasted vegetables – potatoes, onions, etc.).  So I cooked them at 400 for 25 minutes then broiled until brown – about another 5 minutes. I have to say I preferred the batch above, which had minimal browing. Somehow the nutty roasted flavor competed with the simple sweetness of the non-browned batch (or how they probably turn out if I’d followed Recipezaar’s idea to the letter!)

I’ve tried making various red lentil dal recipes that are more complex, but this hits the spot with only three ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils – rinse if you prefer (I don’t rinse) 1 can diced tomatoes Fresh ginger – about one inch, peeled and grated

Directions:

I’ve tried making various red lentil dal recipes that are more complex, but this hits the spot with only three ingredients.

Ingredients:

1 cup red lentils – rinse if you prefer (I don’t rinse)
1 can diced tomatoes
Fresh ginger – about one inch, peeled and grated

Directions:

Coat the bottom of a medium saucepan with non-stick spray.  Add the lentils, pouring in a slow stream so you can check for, and remove, any small stones. Stir in tomatoes and 2 cups water.  Cover and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Add ginger and continue to cook until very soft and water is mostly absorbed, about another 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it while it’s cooking, if the water seems to be close to completely evaporating (you will start to hear sizzling), add more water, a half a cup at a time. This should have the consistency of a thick stew.