One-bowl Vegan Dinner

 

I love vegan buddha bowls and how all the tons of goodness melds together in one bowl.  This recipe has it all:  Nutrient dense ingredients, simple but powerful flavors and belly-comforting goodness.  You can swap out the garbanzo beans for kidney or black beans if you prefer and best when served with sautéed greens on top or on the side.

Enjoy!

 

Serves 6.

Recipe by: Arlene Jacobs

 

Ingredients:

 

¼ cup sweet butter or extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup thinly sliced onions

½ cup fine vermicelli noodles, broken into 1-inch pieces

1/3 cup slivered almonds

1-1/2 cups brown rice

3 cups vegetable broth

3 tbsps. currants or dark raisins

1 heaping tsp. ground allspice

1-15.5 oz. can garbanzo beans

Salt & black pepper, to taste

 

1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

 

 

Method:

 

1. Melt butter or heat oil in a saucepan and add onions. Saute over medium heat until onions have begun to brown.
2. Add noodles and almonds and continue to cook until noodles and almonds become golden and onions are amber. Add rice and continue to cook 2 minutes more, stirring to ensure ingredients do not burn.
3. Add vegetable broth, currants, allspice and season, to taste with salt and pepper
4. Bring ingredients to a boil and allow mixture to simmer for 5 minutes. Cover pan and continue cooking on low for about 40 minutes, or until all liquid is absorbed and rice is tender.
5. Add garbanzo beans and sprinkle generously with chopped parsley.

Barley & Pickled Grape Salad

 

 

I know you’ve heard of pickled cucumbers, pickled cabbage and pickled peppers (ahem, peter piper?), but have you ever tried pickled grapes?  Try this savory recipe with a chewy barley bite, sour grapes and crunchy vegetables to complete this delicious and unusual salad.  Enjoy!

 

Recipe by: Arlene Jacobs

Serves 6 – 8

 

Ingredients:

 

Pickled Grapes:

 

3 cups stemmed red grapes

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tbsp. salt

2 garlic cloves

1 large sprig rosemary

¼ tsp. chili flakes

 

 

 

Method:

 

1. Cut off about ¼ inch of grape on stem end to help absorption of vinegar and seasonings and pack grapes into a 1 qt. container.
2. Heat vinegar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan, add remaining ingredients and heat over a medium burner.
3. Bring to a simmer and pour over grapes. Cover loosely and let cool. Cover tightly and chill in refrigerator. Grapes can be kept refrigerated for three weeks.

 

 

Barley Salad

 

4 cups cooked whole barley

1 cup pickled grapes

¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsps. pickling juice

1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

¾ cup diced fennel or celery

Julienned (1/8-in. sticks) parsnips or carrots

½ finely chopped rosemary

Salt & black pepper, to taste

 

Combine all ingredients, toss well and reseason.

 

 

 

 

Summer Pudding

 

Summertime….and the living is easy….  This simple seasonal dessert is so, so easy and perfect for company.  It creates very little heat in the kitchen, and is best made the day before, so it’s ready to go.  I made mine with leftover blueberry pancakes.  It is classically made with leftover bread, but you could substitute brioche, challah or poundcake.  (Just cut back on the sugar if using poundcake). Enjoy!

Serves 8

Recipe by: Arlene Jacobs

 

Ingredients:

 

3 lbs. mixed berries (cut strawberries in ¼’s)

175 g. sugar or equivalent sweetener of choice

3 tbsps. orange juice or water

7 slices stale white bread or 7 pancakes

4 tbsps. berry jam

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Method:

 

1. Wash and dry berries – lay out on paper towels. Add sugar and orange juice or water and gently bring to the boil. Cook on medium until the sugar dissolves. Add the fruit, except for the strawberries. Allow mixture to cool.
2. Line a medium bowl with plastic wrap. Spread jam on the bread or pancakes. Starting with a layer on the bottom place bread or pancakes around sides of the bowl, overlapping slightly to fill the bowl.
3. Ladle some of the berry juices on the bread or pancakes. Add strawberries and vanilla to the fruit mixture and stir to combine.
4. Using a slotted spoon, distribute the berries in the bowl and add a little more juice.
5. Dip any extra bread in the remaining juices, place on top and cover with the overhanging plastic wrap. Save extra juices.
6. Let it sit in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight. Unmold onto large deep plate and serve with the extra juices and crème fraiche, yogurt or ice cream.

 

NOTE: If you have juices remaining they’d be great mixed with some sparkling water. Add some rum, framboise, or kirsch, and lemon if desired.

 

Asparagus with Orange-Flavored Aioli

 

Asparagus is synonymous with spring and summer. It has a nutty, earthy flavor that goes with lots of different types of sauces. Try this one!  This light and refreshing sauce can be used with other vegetables such as green beans, broccoli, cauliflower and fennel, raw or cooked.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

1 bunch asparagus, white or green

½ cup regular or vegan mayonnaise

1 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. grated orange zest

2 tbsps. orange juice

Salt & white pepper, to taste

¼ cup roughly chopped parsley (for garnish)

 

 

Method:

1. Place trimmed asparagus in salted boiling water and cook for 5 minutes. Remove and let cool.
2. Make sauce. Combine mayonnaise, mustard, orange zest and orange juice. Season with salt and white pepper.
3. Plate asparagus and spoon dressing on top. Sprinkle with parsley.

 

 

Vegan Chorizo with Peppers

Before I became a vegetarian for ethical and environmental reasons 28 years ago, chorizo was a food I really enjoyed along with other sausages and bologna and even kielbasas!  I had to grieve the letting go of those foods and focus on finding delight and flavor in all the vegan delicacies I could have.  This was in the early 90’s however when there was no such thing as vegan or mock “meats.” These days one can find a vegan version of virtually every meat, fowl or fish you can imagine.  This particular recipe uses chickpeas as the vegan base for the chorizo but you could also head over to Trader Joes to find to find an actual vegan version of chorizo to crumble up and add to the recipe.  I hope you enjoy the flavors of this dish as much as I do!

Recipe by: Arlene Jacobs

Serves 4

 

Ingredients:

Lots of ingredients, but very easy recipe.

 

1 lb. (2 cups cooked, or canned) garbanzo beans

½ tsp. salt, or to taste

2 cloves garlic, smashed

1 tsp. oregano

½ tsp. cumin

¼ tsp, red pepper flakes, or to taste

¼ cup roughly chopped cilantro

1 tbsp. paprika

2 tsps. Ancho chili powder

¼ tsp. cinnamon

¼ tsp. ground cloves

2 tbsps. tomato paste

1 tbsp. white vinegar

1 cup cooked quinoa

3 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil

12 – 16 small sweet peppers

 

Method:

Heat oven to 400^oF.

 

1. In a food processor, combine 1 cup garbanzo beans and all remaining ingredients, except quinoa and extra-virgin olive oil. Process to a paste with ½ cup water. Add remaining garbanzos and quinoa and process with about 4 on/off turns.
2. Heat extra-virgin olive oil in a 10-12-inch sauté pan and add the mixture to the pan, stirring frequently for about 20 minutes. Add some water, if necessary, but the result should be a thick paste. Set aside to cool.
3. Remove the tops from peppers, and using a small spoon stuff peppers with the chorizo mixture until well packed. (Can be done ahead and reserved in the fridge).
4. Spread ½ of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a large shallow pot, place stuffed peppers over and finish with the remaining sauce. Add about ½ cup water to the pot.
5. Cook, partially covered, for about 25 – 30 minutes until the peppers are tender, adding more water if necessary.

 

Tomato Sauce

 

1-1/2 cups diced onions

2 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

Salt & pepper, to taste

2 cups tomato puree

6 cilantro sprigs, chopped

¼ tsp. sugar

 

1. Saute onions at medium heat in olive oil until they are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, season with salt & pepper and continue to cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes more.
2. Add tomato puree, cilantro and sugar. Continue to cook for 15 to 20 minutes over low heat.