Sesame Miso Tahini Dressing

Ingredients
1/4 c. tahini
1/4 c. water
1 tbsp. miso
1 tbsp. sugar or agave
1 tbsp. seasoned rice vinegar
1 clove garlic
fresh parsley, as garnish

Directions
Place all ingredients except parsley in high speed blender, and blend until smooth. 

Use as dressing for salad, wraps or veggies. 

Simple Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

2 c. high quality tahini

3/4 c. lemon juice, freshly squeezed

1 head of garlic

1/2 tsp. cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. ice water

Directions

Break apart the garlic cloves, putting the cloves into a high powered blender, including paper skins. Add lemon juice and blend for a few minutes until you have a coarse paste. Let sit for 10 minutes so the garlic can mellow a bit. Pour the mixture through a fine sieve into a large mixing bowl and press the mixture into the sieve until you've extracted as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids. Add cumin and salt. Whisk in the tahini until smooth; the sauce will lighten in color. Whenever the tahini seizes up or tightens, add ice water bit by bit, whisking energetically until you have a perfectly smooth, creamy, thick sauce.

Makes 2 1/2 cups of tahini sauce to be used as an ingredient in hummus or baba ghanoush. 

1 cup = 724 calories

Vegan Caesar Dressing

Lauren Toyota strikes again with an awesome vegan version of Caesar dressing. Check out the original recipe.

Ingredients

1 garlic bulb
1 tbsp. olive oil
pinch sea salt
3/4 c. raw cashews, soaked for 20 minutes in hot water
3/4 c. water
2 pitted dried dates
3 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest
3 1/2 tbsp. nutritional yeast
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. dijon mustard
1 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Directions

Blend all ingredients in Vitamix and refrigerate. 

Makes 2 cups. 

1 tbsp = 22 calories

White Bean Farro Risotto

Original recipe from PureWow. 

Ingredients

For the farro: 

1 1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 yellow onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup farro
1/3 c. dry white wine
1/2 c. coconut milk from a carton
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1/4 c. basil, finely slivered
salt & pepper

For the white bean puree: 

2 c. white beans, like cannellini or navy, cooked, rinsed, drained
1/2 c. coconut milk from a carton
1/4 c. nutritional yeast 
1 medium lemon, zested and juiced
2 tbsp. white or yellow miso paste
1/2 tsp. kosher salt

For the saucy cherry tomatoes: 

1/2 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 pt. cherry or grape tomatoes
1/2 c. tomato sauce
1/4 c. dry white wine
salt & pepper

Directions

Select the sauté setting on the Instant Pot, and, after a few minutes, add the olive oil. Once the olive oil is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to turn golden, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the farro to the pot, stirring to coat all the grains. Cook for 1 minute. Add the white wine to the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Simmer until the wine has evaporated, about 3 minutes. Add the coconut milk, thyme and ¾ cup water; season with salt and pepper. Secure the lid and set the pressure release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook (manual) setting at High Pressure and set the cook time to 10 minutes. Once the timer goes off, allow a natural pressure release for 10 minutes and then perform a quick pressure release.

Meanwhile, make the white bean puree. Add the cannellini beans, coconut milk, nutritional yeast, lemon zest and juice, miso paste and salt to the bowl of a food processor or high-powered blender and process until you have a smooth and creamy puree with no pieces of beans remaining.

Make the saucy tomatoes. Heat the olive oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the thyme and cherry tomatoes, and cook until the tomatoes burst, gently pressing down on them to help the process, 6 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper; stir in the tomato sauce and white wine. Bring the mixture to a rapid simmer. Cook until the wine has mostly reduced and the smell of alcohol has dissipated, about 4 minutes.

Once the pressure on the Instant Pot has been released, open the pot and remove the thyme sprigs. Select the Sauté setting. Stir in the white bean puree until it has melted into the farro, about 1 minute. Stir in the 1 tablespoon lemon juice and taste for seasoning, adding a pinch or two of salt as needed. Serve the farro immediately topped with the saucy cherry tomatoes and fresh basil.

Serves 3.

Pumpkin Chipotle Rice

Depending on your preference, you can make this with a fried rice texture or more of a gumbo texture - play with the water to see what you like. Do not go below 1 cup! The original recipe is from Vegan Richa. 

Ingredients

1 c. long grain brown basmati rice
1 c. dried kidney beans
1 tsp. avocado or other neutral oil
1/2 c. onion, chopped
1/2 jalapeno pepper, diced
1 1/2 c. veggies, chopped (frozen actually work well here!)
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. thyme
3/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chipotle chili powder
1/3 c. pumpkin puree
2-3 c. water or broth

For garnish: 

Pickled jalapeno
Cilantro 
Lime juice

Directions

Soak the rice and beans in hot water for 20+ minutes. Wash, drain, and set aside. 

Oil the bottom of the Instant Pot and set to sauté. Lightly sauté the onions and jalapenos. Add all other ingredients and mix well. 

Close the lid and pressure cook on high for 20 minutes. Let the pressure release for 8 minutes, then quick release. Open the lid, fluff, taste, and adjust flavor. 

Transfer the rice to a serving bowl so it doesn't continue to cook in the hot Instant Pot. Top with garnishes of choice and serve. 

Serves 5

1 serving = 190 calories

Fall Apart Carmelized Cabbage

From Bon Appetit. 

Ingredients
1/4 c. double-concentrated tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 1/2 tsp. ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 2-lb. head of green or savoy cabbage
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
kosher salt
3 tbsp. dill, parsley or cilantro, chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix tomato paste, garlic, coriander, cumin, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Cut cabbage in half through the core. Cut each half through core into 4 wedges. 

Heat 1/4 olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches if needed, add cabbage to pan cut side down and season with salt. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly charred, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer cabbage to a plate. 

Pour remaining 1/4 olive oil into skillet. Add spiced tomato paste and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until tomato paste begins to split and slightly darken, 2-3 minutes. Pour in enough water to come halfway up sides of pan (about 1 1/2 cups), season with salt and bring to a simmer. Nestle cabbage wedges back into the skillet. (They should have shrunk while browning, but a bit of overlap is okay.) Transfer cabbage to oven and bake, uncovered and turning wedges halfway through, until very tender, liquid is mostly evaporated, and cabbage is caramelized around the edges, about 40-50 minutes. 

Scatter herbs over cabbage. 

Pie Crust

Thank you, Nora Cooks for another terrific vegan dessert! 

Ingredients
1.5 c. all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 c. vegan butter, cold and cut into cubes (I used Miyokos Unsalted)
1/4 c. vegetable shortening, cold and cut into several pieces
3-4 tbsp. ice water

Directions
Refrigerate the butter, shortening, and food processor pieces before beginning. Add flour, sugar, and salt to the food processor and pulse a few times to combine.

Add the cold butter and shortening. Process for about 10 seconds until it looks like a coarse meal. 

Drizzle in ice cold water, a tablespoon or two at a time. When the dough begins to clump together, stop. You may need to add 1 or 2 more tablespoons for it to come together. 

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and shape it into a ball. Don't use your hands too much or it will warm the dough, making your crust less flaky and light. 

Roll the dough with a rolling pin to about 12-inch circle, and transfer to a pie place. You can roll the dough onto the rolling pin, lift and place into the pie pan. 

DO NOT PANIC IF IT IS NOT PERFECT. 

Gently push the pie crust all around the dish, trimming off excess and replacing spots that might need repair. Use pie crust immediately or refrigerate until you are ready to use it. 

Savory Sesame Miso Oatmeal

This recipe was adapted from Pickles & Honey. 

Ingredients
1/4 c. steel cut oats
1/2 c. coconut milk
1/4 c. vegetable broth
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
pinch of garlic powder
1 tsp. white miso
black pepper, freshly ground
spinach or other greens
2 scallions
2 oz. pre-cooked tofu (I like Soy Boy's Smoked Tofu)
pickled cabbage, onions, or radishes
tuxedo sesame seeds

Directions

Combine coconut milk, broth, sesame oil, and garlic powder in a saucepan and bring to a light boil. Add oats and reduce heat to low. Cook until tender, stirring frequently. Towards the end of cooking the oats, add your miso and black pepper.  Once miso is dissolved, add your tofu and if you want your greens slightly cooked, add those. 

Garnish with remaining ingredients. 

Serves 1. 

Candied Jalapenos

Recipe adapted from Foodie With Family.

Ingredients
3 lbs. fresh firm, jalapeno peppers, washed
2 c. cider vinegar
6 c. white granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1/2 tsp. celery seed
3 tsp. granulated garlic
1 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

Directions
Wearing gloves, remove the stems from all of the jalapeno peppers. Discard the stems. Slice the peppers into uniform 1/8-1/4 inch rounds. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring cider vinegar, white sugar, turmeric, celery seed, granulated garlic and cayenne pepper to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Raise the heat to boiling again, add the pepper slices, return to a hard boil, then reduce the heat again and simmer for exactly 4 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the peppers, loading into clean, sterile canning jars to within 1/4 inch of the upper rim of the jar. Turn heat up under the pot with the syrup and bring to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 6 minutes.

Use a ladle to pour the boiling syrup into the jars over the jalapeno slices. At this point, you can slap on a lid and stick in the fridge... or can them!

Insert a cooking chopstick to the bottom of the jar two or three times to release any trapped pockets of air. Adjust the level of the syrup if necessary. Wipe the rims of the jars with a clean, damp paper towel and fix on new, two-piece lids to finger-tip tightness.

Place jars in a canner, cover with water by 2-inches. Bring the water to a full rolling boil. When it reaches a full rolling boil, set the timer for 10 minutes for half-pints or 15 minutes for pints. When timer goes off, use canning tongs to transfer the jars to a cooling rack. Leave them to cool, undisturbed, for 24 hours. When fully cooled, wipe them with a clean, damp washcloth then label. If you have leftover syrup, and it is likely that you will, you may can it in half-pint or pint jars, too. It's great as a spicy simple syrup.

Makes 4 to 6 half-pints.

Coconut Bacon

Coconut bacon makes an excellent topping for salads, avocado toast, and more! Thanks to The Minimalist Baker for this easy recipe! 

Ingredients
2 c. large flake unsweetened coconut
1 tbsp. avocado or another neutral oil
2 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1/2 tsp. Liquid Smoke
1 pinch sea salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Add coconut flake, oil, tamari, paprika, maple syrup, liquid smoke, sea salt, and black pepper. Toss to thoroughly coat.

Bake at 325 for 6 minutes, then stir and flip pan around. Bake for another 5-7 minutes, or until coconut bacon is crispy and golden brown. Watch carefully in the last minutes of cooking and be careful not to burn as it can go from brown to burnt very quickly.

Let cool for 10 minutes - it will continue crisping as it cools. Store leftovers covered at room temperature up to 1 week (sometimes more), or in the freezer for 1 month. 

Fills a "skinny" quart jar.

1/4 cup = 124 calories