Chana Masala

Ingredients

• 4 medium tomatoes, chopped and divided
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 hot chilies (or more to your preference), chopped
• 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds, crushed
• 1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
• 3 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• Juice of 2 key limes
• Salt to taste
• Fresh cilantro for garnish

Preparation

1. In a food processor or blender, process 3 of the tomatoes, onion, chilies, ginger, and garlic until smooth. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over medium-high heat, then add the cumin, coriander, and fenugreek.  Let the spices toast and flower, stirring constantly in the oil, for about 1 minute.
3. Add the processed ingredients, increase heat to high, and fry until the “fresh” onion smell subsides, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the chickpeas, remaining tomato, turmeric, and sugar. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
5. Add the garam masala, lime juice, and season with salt to taste.
6. Serve topped with fresh chopped cilantro.

Sweet Potato and Barley Burgers

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup barley
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 large yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 pound sweet potatoes, boiled and mashed
• 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Cook barley in the vegetable stock over medium heat until all of the water has absorbed, about 15 minutes.
2. While the barley cooks, heat oil in a large skillet and saute onions, garlic, and hot pepper over medium heat until onions are translucent  about 2 minutes.
3. When the barley is cooked, combine barley, sauteed onions, sweet potatoes, parsley, and soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Form patties and bake on a well greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Flip the patties and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown.

Sweet Potato Shepherd’s Pie with Walnut Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and boiled
• 1/8 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
• 1/4 pound sweet peppers, chopped
• 1 large sweet onion, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 tablespoon hot pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 cup cooked black-eyed peas
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1 tablespoon rice flour
• 1/2 cup unsweetened plain soy milk
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon ground sage
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup walnuts, chopped

Preparation

1. In a large pot, heat olive oil and saute onion over medium-low heat until fragrant. Add garlic, mushrooms, peppers, and hot pepper flakes and continue sauteing until peppers soften, about 4 minutes.
2. Add parsley and black-eyed peas and combine with sauteed vegetables over medium-high heat. Add broth and rice flour stirring until thoroughly combined, then allow liquid to come to a simmer. Remove from heat, season with salt and pepper to taste, and place in a deep casserole dish and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, use a hand mixer to whisk potatoes with  soy milk, soy sauce, and ground sage until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Spread mashed sweet potatoes on top of the filling and place in an oven heated to 350 degrees. Bake until the filling simmers and the potatoes develop a slightly golden crust, about 30 minutes.
5. Let cool for about 10 minutes and consider serving with walnut gravy.

This is a baked, gluten-free falafel, packed with heart-healthy omegas!

Ingredients

• 3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, mashed
• 1 lemon, juiced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 2 tablespoons ground flax
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 1/4 cup purslane, chopped
• 1/4 cup parsley, chopped
• 1/4 cup mint, chopped
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Form chickpea patties about 1 ½ inches wide by 2 inches thick. Place formed patties on a lightly greased baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tacu Tacu is an Afro-Peruvian staple that can be garnished with anything from seafood stews to sauteed vegetables. This version is great with a fresh Ensalada Criolla.

Tacu Tacu with Ensalada Criolla

Ingredients

• 1 cup white rice, cooked
• 2 cups cooked black beans
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 small purple onions, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin seed
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons Ají Amarillo or 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 key lime, juiced
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion, garlic, and cumin until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
2. While the onions saute, combine rice and beans in a large bowl. Add the Ají Amarillo and mash the rice and beans together.
3. Add the sauteed mixture to the beans and lime juice and combine. Season with salt to taste.
4. Form palm-sized patties using about 1 cup of the mixture.
5. Spray the skillet with non-stick cooking spray and cook the patties over medium-high heat until slightly browned, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side.

Get a good dose of your summer greens with this hearty curry!  If you don’t have sweet potato and dandelion greens (often available during the summer at your local farmers’ market), you can substitute spinach, kale, chard, or nearly any other kind of greens in their place.

Sweet Potato Greens Saag Paneer

Paneer is an Indian fresh cheese. You can also substitute widely available dense, un-aged Hispanic fresh cheeses that  may be sold under a variety of names including, but not limited to, queso fresco, queso blanco, or panela. However,  for the best results, we suggest making your own fresh cheese at home!

Ingredients

• 8 ounces paneer, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon whole cumin
• 1 teaspoon whole coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon whole mustard seed
• 2 medium yellow onions, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 2 serrano peppers, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 2 bunches (about 5 cups) sweet potato greens, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1 small bunch (about 2 cups) dandelion greens, stemmed and finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1/2 cup yogurt
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• Prepared Basmati rice

Preparation

1. First, you need to prepare your fresh spices for the curry. Using a mortar and pestle or a clean coffee grinder, grind the whole cumin, coriander, and mustard seed into a powder. Set aside.
2. Use a food processor to finely chop the onion, ginger, garlic, and serranos down to a near paste-like consistency. Set aside.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium high heat.  Once the oil is hot and moves freely in the pan, add the paneer cubes and fry.  Turn the paneer cubes every 10 to 15 seconds or so to get all sides fried to a light golden brown.  Remove the fried paneer from heat and set aside. Discard the excess oil.
4. To prepare the curry, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil on medium-high heat in a large, heavy pot (a wok or karahi works best).  Add the ground spices and simmer in the oil for about 2 minutes until brown and fragrant.  Add the processed onions, ginger, garlic and serranos and lower the heat to medium. Fry this mixture for 10-12 minutes.  By the end of the 12 minutes, the onions should be browned and all the spices and fragrances should mellow and harmonize.
5. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sweet potato greens, dandelion greens, and water. After about 5 minutes the greens should have cooked down to about half their original volume.  Reduce heat to medium and continue to cook for another 8 to 10 minutes until the greens are very soft.
6. Add the fried paneer and garam masala, and cook for about 1 minute more to get the paneer warmed.
7. Turn off the heat and stir in the yogurt.
8. Serve with prepared rice and enjoy!

Saltado is a dish that typifies Peru’s multicultural cuisine. It is essentially a stir-fry that combines eastern and Latin flavors with fried potatoes.  It is fairly easy to find vegetarian saltados in Peruvian restaurants, but the most popular version by far is beef loin, or lomo, saltado.  This recipe uses wheat roast instead of beef, but portobello mushrooms, seitan, and tofu all make great saltados as well.

Vegetarian Saltado

Ingredients

• 1 pound yellow potatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch thick strips
• 1 pound wheat roast, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices.
• 1 large red onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
• 1 tablespoon ají amarillo paste or 1 minced hot pepper
• 2 tomatoes, seeded and cut into eighths
• 1/2 pound sweet peppers, such as bell, sliced into strips
• 2 medium carrots, julienned
• 1/4 pound snow peas or snap peas
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon Pisco (optional)
• olive oil cooking spray
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-2 key limes

Preparation

1. Liberally coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. Arrange potato slices in a single layer and spray with oil and season with a pinch of salt. Cook potato slices in the oven, preheated to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Allow to bake for 20-30 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in pan over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add wheat roast and saute for another minute.
3. Add ají, tomatoes, snow peas, peppers, parsley, spices, vinegar, Pisco, and soy sauce. Cook until tomatoes are softened and the peas and peppers are tender.
4. Add prepared potatoes, and quickly toss together. Remove from heat when all ingredients are at a consistent temperature.
5. Sprinkle with lime juice before serving.  Serve with an ají of your choice.

Mushroom Wellingtons with Red Wine Reduction.

This recipe is a delicious take on beef wellingtons and mushrooms, pecans, and yeast extract pack the dish with flavor and protein. Many of the premade puff pastry doughs you can buy in the store are vegan, but they are full of rehydrognated oils and corn syrup which are terrible for you. If you have time you can make your own or treat yourself to something that contains butter.

Ingredients

• Three large portobello mushroom caps, washed and degilled
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans
• 1 teaspoon ground thyme
• 1 tablespoon yeast extract spread (like Marmite or Vegemite)
• 1 sheet of puff pastry, defrosted if necessary
• cooking spray
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the three mushrooms cap up covered in the pan for about 2 minutes. Flip the mushrooms and continue cooking until just tender to the touch.
2. remove the mushrooms from the pan and add the remaining olive oil to the pan. Saute the onions, garlic, pecans, and sage until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Transfer the saute to a blender of food processor. Add one of the mushrooms and yeast extract and blend, adding stock as needed, until a thick puree forms. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Stuff the remaining mushroom halves with the puree and put the two stuffed caps together to create a single semi-spherical stuffed mushroom.
4. Stack the sheets and place the mushroom in the center of the pastry sheets. Wrap the puff pastry around the mushrooms and spray the wellington generously with cooking spray.
5. Place the wellington in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit until the puff pastry is golden brown, for about 20 minutes.
6. Slice and serve with Red Wine Reduction Sauce.

Trumpet mushrooms are used in this dish mainly because of their shape which, when sliced, look somewhat like scallops. I have no idea what scallops taste like, but if they are tender and mild then trumpet mushrooms are not a bad substitute.

Seared Mushroom Scallops

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup soy sauce (gluten-free if required)
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 1 1/4 pounds trumpet mushrooms, cut into 3/4 inch thick rounds
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 medium leeks, washed and sliced
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 lemon, sliced into wedges

Preparation

1. Mix rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, brown sugar, and water until the sugar dissolves at least four hours.
2. To cook the mushrooms heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet until very hot. Carefully place the marinaded mushroom slices in the pan and season with ground pepper and a sprinkle of salt. Allow the bottom of the mushroom slices to cook until a good sear forms, about 3 minutes.
3. Turn the mushrooms, season, and sear the other side.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking heat the remaining oil in a large skillet over medium heat and saute the leeks until just tender, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Plate the dish with 3 seared mushroom slices served over a 1/4 cup of sauteed leeks and a lemon wedge.

The most important part of high-quality cooking is using what is fresh. We happen to have acquired a hefty amount of fresh shitake mushrooms at the farmer’s market this week so, when it came time to make a mushroom risotto we used what we had. Fresh shitakes are much less pungent than their dried counterparts but still retain a thick meaty texture. If you do not have fresh shitakes for this recipe we would recommend using what is available to you be it portobello, cremini, porcini, or something fun you found at the local Asian market (these are some of my favorite mushrooms and some day I will figure out their English names). Another alternative is to reconstitute a large quantity of shitake mushrooms in the broth you use for the recipe. This will add a substantial amount of flavor to your liquid, but be warned that the mushrooms may never be as tender as their fresh counterparts.

Shitake Mushroom Risotto

Whatever mushroom route you choose, if you choose risotto you are in for some laborious cooking. The techniques behind risotto are not difficult. What is hard, even for the most dedicated home cook, is not breaking attention on the task at hand. Risotto is meditative work so when the recipe says “stir continuously” it does not mean take a minute to check your email or refresh your cocktail. Keep stirring and a tender, flavorful reward awaits.

Ingredients

• 8 cups vegetable broth
• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1/2 large white onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced, divided
• 1 pound fresh shitake mushrooms, diced
• 2 sweet Ringo peppers or 1 large yellow bell pepper, roasted, peeled, and minced
• 4 shallots, diced
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups Arborio rice
• 1/4 teaspoon dry thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced

Preparation

1. Heat the vegetable broth and keep it warming on low-heat.
2. In a large pan, heat three tablespoons olive oil and saute the white onion and one of the garlic cloves until the onions are translucent.  Add the mushrooms and roasted peppers, and continue to saute until the mushrooms are thoroughly cooked – they should be very soft when finished– about 5 to 8 minutes.  Set aside while you cook the rice.
3. In a large pot, saute the shallots over medium-high heat for about two to three minutes in the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil.  Add the dry Arborio rice and continue to saute for about 5 minutes.  This is to cook the starch on the outside of the rice, which will prevent the finished risotto from becoming just mushy rice.
4. Add the white wine and continue cooking over medium-low heat until all the wine is absorbed.
5. Now comes the laborious part: Ladle about 1 cup of broth into the sauteed rice.  Stir continuously as the rice absorbs the liquid. Add another 1 or 2-ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) of broth, stirring constantly until that liquid is absorbed.  Continue to do this until the rice is cooked.  This process should take 45 minutes to 1 hour and should use all or nearly all of the broth.
6. Once all of the broth has been absorbed and the rice is cooked (not at all crunchy), add the thyme, rosemary, and cooked mushrooms and peppers.  Stir until incorporated and thoroughly warmed.
7. Serve yourself and your friends immediately and enjoy this fantastic dish.  Go ahead and have that cocktail now – you’ve earned it!