If you need extra protein this is a good way to go.

Ingredients

Preparation

1. In a large bowl combine oats, soy flour, flax seed, blueberries, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, and milk alternative. The resulting dough should be similar to oatmeal cookie dough.

2. Spread the mixture evenly in a greased baking dish and score the dough into 12 similarly sized bars.

3. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Nutrition Information

12 servings

234 calories per serving

13.5 grams of protein

36 grams of carbohydrates

5 grams of fat

With all the fresh squash, tomatoes, peppers, eggplants, basil, onions, and garlic in season right now, it is time for some delicious Italian-inspired dinners. To capitalize on this most flavorful of seasons we started our cooking marathon by creating a slow fresh tomato sauce complemented with a little spice and some meaty mushrooms in this Garden Marinara. To accompany the sauce we prepared a Spaghetti Squash infused with fresh rosemary. At their peak freshness, winter squashes are so sweet and flavorful it makes an ideal substitute for pasta or other less nutritious starches. To fully round out this feast we made Baked Eggplant. This is a stunningly good vegan baked alternative to eggplant parmesan that makes you wonder how the story of Italian cuisine would have evolved if Marco Polo had also chosen to pack some Panko back from Asia.

South American tamales are mostly masa served with delicious sauces, whereas Central American tamales rely on stewed meats and veggies to add flavor. This recipe is more in a South American style but uses Kabocha, a Japanese winter squash, to add substance and sweetness. Any winter squash, like butternut or acorn, will make a good substitute.

Steaming Kabocha Squash and Quinoa Tamales (Photo by Gabriel Hasser)

Ingredients

• 3 pounds Kabocha squash, steamed and pureed
• 2 cups quinoa, cooked
• 2 cups masa harina 
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Preparation

1. Combine ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Prepare the tamales.
3. Steam the tamales until the masa is firm, about 20-30 minutes.
4. Serve with your favorite Aji.

Roasted Tomato Aji (Photo by Gabriel Hasser)

Ingredients

• 1 pound of ripe red tomatoes, wedged
• 1 white onion, halved
• 2 fresh jalapenos, seeded and halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Place tomato wedges, onion halves, and jalapenos on a greased baking sheet. Broil in the oven at 450 degrees Fahrenheit for 10 minutes or until tomatoes are slightly blackened.
2. Place broiled vegetables, olive oil, and salt to taste in a blender and liquefy.
3. Serve with favorite entrees or appetizers to add heat and flavor.

Spaghetti Squash with a sprig of fresh basil.

Ingredients

• Spaghetti squash, halved and de-seeded
• 3 to 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 1-3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (optional)
• salt to taste

Preparation

1. Place the squash halves face down in a large rectangular baking dish. Place a sprig of rosemary under each half and a few around the squash.
2. Pour water in the baking dish with one half inch of water.
3. Place the baking dish in the over and cook at 400 degrees Farenheight for an hour or until the squash is fork tender.
4. When the squash is finished cooking, carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool until it can be safely handled, about 15 minutes.
5. Scoop the flesh of the cooked squash into a large bowl and discard the skins. Toss with olive oil and salt to taste, or serve with marinara sauce.

James adds the finishing touches to our Garden Marinara.

Ingredients

• 4 pounds fresh ripe tomatoes
• 3-4 large ringo or sweet bell peppers
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 ounces white button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 medium jalapeno, minced
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
• Olive oil spray
• Salt and sugar to taste

Preparation

1. Remove the tomato cores, place the tomatoes in a large pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Once the water comes to a boil drain the tomatoes in a large colander and spray with cold water.  remove the skins and set aside.
2. While the tomatoes are coming to a boil, place the peppers in a medium baking dish coated liberally with olive oil. Place in an oven and bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the skins are browned, about 10 minutes. Transfer hot peppers to an airtight container and allow to steam for about 15 minutes. Remove skins, stems, and seeds then dice and set aside.
3. In a large sauce pot, heat olive oil and saute onion and garlic at a low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramelization begins, about 10 minutes.
4. Add mushrooms to the saute and continue cooking until all of the liquid from the mushrooms is expressed, about five minutes.
5. Add skinned tomatoes, minced roasted peppers, jalapeno, and oregano to the saute. Combine with a wooden spoon and break up the tomatoes.
6. Lower heat to a simmer and season sauce with salt and sugar to taste. Continue to simmer over low heat until the sauce has reduced by about 2 cups, or about an hour.
7. Add chopped basil and remove from heat.

Baked Eggplants

Ingredients

• 2 pounds fresh eggplant, peeled and sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 cup flour
• 2 cups Japanese breadcrumbs (like Panko)
• 1 tablespoon oregano
• 1 tablespoon salt
• Olive oil cooking spray

Preparation

1. Liberally coat a baking sheet with olive oil spray and set aside.
2. Fill three separate pie tins or other shallow dishes with the milk, flour, and bread crumbs.
3. Add oregano and salt to the breadcrumbs and combine.
4. Dredge each eggplant slice in the flour, milk, and breadcrumbs then place them on the baking sheet.
5. Coat all of the breaded eggplant slices  liberally with the olive oil spray and place in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes.

Working at the farmer’s market we are often asked for cooking and recipe advice. This recipe came from our market manager, Abbi Cheek, who was asked for advice on one particularly hot afternoon.

To make watermelon puree, place sliced sections of whole watermelon in a blender and process until smooth. Then, transfer the puree to a fine mesh strainer and allow to separate for at least 10 minutes. Use the separated liquid in this recipe.

Ingredients

• 1 ounce simple syrup
• 10-15 mint leaves
• 3 or 4 ice cubes
• 2 ounces white rum
• 3 ounces watermelon puree
• 2 key limes, juiced
• 2 ounces soda water

Preparation

1. Muddle mint and simple syrup in a 16 ounce glass
2. Add ice, rum, watermelon puree, and lime juice. Stir.
3. Top with soda water and garnish with mint or a lime wedge. Serve.

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups regular oats, divided
• 1/2 cup pecans, whole
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 3/4 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons bourbon whiskey or vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup raisins

Preparation

1. In a food processor or blender combine 1 ½ cups of oats, coconut, 1/2 cup whole pecans, and ground flax seed. Blend into a uniform powder.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together the flour you created, the all purpose flour, salt, baking soda, the remaining oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar.
3. In a small bowl combine the almond milk, vegetable oil, and bourbon.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until thoroughly until incorporated. Immediately fold in the raisins and chopped pecans then allow the cookie dough to sit until the dough is no longer sticky, about 5 minutes.
5.  Shape cookies by rolling about 2 tablespoons of dough into a ball and flattening with the palms of your hands. Bake on well greased cookie sheets until golden brown at 350 degrees Fahrenheit, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to cool before eating or storing.

Vegan Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I love cookies, but my love is tempered by a small personal problem – despite my life long vegetarianism, daily exercise, and general dislike of eggs and dairy I have above normal cholesterol levels. Now, before you send me a condolence letter I should let you know that it is not technically in a high range, but it was high enough to catch my attention when I was ready to blow my last check-up out of the water. Some additional family research revealed some more disturbing facts, like that everyone in my family over the age of 50 has been diagnosed with heart disease and I am probably one of the 30% of people who are susceptible to dietary cholesterol.

So, I love cookies but it is important to me to avoid dietary cholesterol as much as reasonably possible. One solution is to make vegan cookies, but it would be erroneous to assume that all vegan foods are necessarily better for you than foods that may contain dairy or egg products. This is because many of the easiest to find vegan substitutes (margarine) contain trans-fats which – even though they contain no cholesterol – act to raise bad cholesterol in the blood. To me, part of making a good cookie means making one that I can enjoy knowing that I am not consuming cholesterol or trans-fats, and it also has to taste great.

To this end I created this vegan oatmeal raisin cookie recipe. They are nutty and spicy with a texture that is indistinguishable from a good  conventional soft oatmeal cookie. It also has the added benefits of omega-3s from ground flax seed. So, while it is not quite health food, these treats aren’t detrimental to your cardiovascular health and might even contain the glimmer of a benefit.