Portobello Mushroom and Poblano Pepper Fajitas

Ingredients:

Marinade

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 1 small jalapeño (finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon ground chile powder
• sea salt and black pepper

Fajitas

• 3 large portobello mushrooms (rinsed and pat dry)
• 1 medium purple onion
• 4 medium poblano peppers
• 8 to 10 corn tortillas
• 2/3 cup shredded plant-based cheese or sprinkle with some nutritional yeast (optional)

Avocado Sauce

• 2 avocados
• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro (lightly packed)
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (lightly packed)
• 1/2 lime (juiced)
• 2 tablespoons water
• sea salt and black pepper

Directions:

1. Prepare the vegetables:
   • De-stem the mushrooms and gently remove the gills using a spoon. Slice the mushrooms into ½-inch thick strips. 
   • Cut off the tops of the poblano peppers, slice them in half and remove the seeds and membranes. Slice the peppers into ½-inch thick strips, up to 3-inches in length.
   • Slice off the root end and the tip of the red onion. Set it on one of its flat sides and cut down through the middle of the onion, then slice each half into 1/2-inch wide strips by slicing from one flat side to the other. 
2. Toss the mushroom slices, poblano pepper slices and onion slices into a large bowl.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients until emulsified. 
4. Pour the marinade over the bowl of prepared veggies. Toss well to evenly distribute the marinade. Let the veggies soak up the marinade for 30 minutes or so, tossing occasionally.
5. In the meantime, make the avocado sauce. 
   • In a food processor, combine the avocados, cilantro, parsley, lime juice and water. 
   • Blend, and add sea salt and black pepper to taste. 
   • Transfer the sauce to a small serving bowl.

6. In a large skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Once it’s shimmering, pour in the marinated vegetables. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the peppers are tender and the mushrooms are browning on the edges (ten minutes or more). Add more oil and reduce the heat if necessary; you don’t want the pan to start smoking. Remove from heat.
7. Gently warm the tortillas individually in a lightly oiled pan over medium-low heat, flipping halfway through cooking (about 20 seconds per tortilla). Stack the warmed tortillas on a plate and keep them warm under a tea towel. Serve the fajita filling with tortillas, avocado sauce, plant-based cheese, and hot sauce.

Recipe adapted from cookieandkate.com

Simple Coconut Quinoa and Lentil Curry with Lime Mango

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil (other cooking vegetable oil, cooking wine, vegetable broth, or water)
• 2 red bell peppers (chopped)
• 2-3 carrots (chopped)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced or grated)
• 1 tablespoon fresh ginger (grated)
• 2-3 tablespoons thai red curry paste (I like to use 3)
• 1 tablespoons curry powder (I like using spicy curry powder)
• 1 (14 ounces) can full-fat (or low-fat) coconut milk
• 4 cups coconut water OR vegetable broth OR water
• 1 tablespoon plant-based fish sauce or soy sauce 
• 1 cup green lentils (rinsed and drained)
• 1 cup mixed red and white quinoa (rinsed and drained)
• 3-4 big handful baby kale
• 1/2 a lemon (juice + zest) 
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro + basil (chopped)

To serve: 1 mango (sliced, chopped), fresh limes (sliced), plant-based yogurt or sour cream, Fresno chiles, almonds (slivered, sliced, or chopped)

Directions:

1. Heat the oil (or options listed) in a large heavy bottomed pot set over medium heat. Once hot, add the red pepper and carrots, cook 2-3 minutes or until lightly charred on the edges. 
2. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 30 seconds. 
3. Add the Thai red curry paste and curry powder, continue cooking for another minute or until the curry is fragrant. 
4. Slowly pour in the coconut milk, coconut water (or broth or just water) and plant-based fish sauce (or soy sauce). Stir to combine and then bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, stir in the lentils and quinoa. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until the lentils are tender and the quinoa soft. 
5. Stir in the kale and continue cooking, uncovered for another 5 minutes. 
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice + zest, the cilantro, and basil.

Ladle the curry into bowls and top with mango. Drizzle the mango with lime juice + zest. Garnish the curry with a dollop of plant-based yogurt or plant-based sour cream, fresno chilies, and almonds. Serve with fresh naan (or gluten free option). EAT.

Recipe adapted from halfbakedharvest.com

Falafel

Ingredients:

1 lb 4oz (20oz) dried fava beans (about 3 1/2 cups) (not canned) 
7 cups cold water
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup onion, diced
1/4 cup Italian parsley, roughly chopped
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
Heavy pinch of kosher salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
3 tbsp of water, plus more as needed
6-8 Tbsp canola or vegetable oil for frying

To serve:
Thinned tahini sauce
Sliced lettuce, tomatoes, etc. 

Directions:

Sort through and rinse the fava beans.  Place them into a large stock pot and cover with the water.  Bring this to a boil over medium-high heat.  Reduce the heat so the water is at a gentle simmer and cook for 30 minutes.  Drain and cool the beans completely.

Once the beans are completely cool, place them in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a blade attachment.  Add the garlic, onion, cilantro, parsley, cumin, and coriander to the bowl, and pulse until the mix resembles a coarse sand in texture.  Stop mixing and scrape down the bowl using a rubber spatula.

Add the salt and flour.  Use the first measurement of flour, only adding more if the mixture is too wet.

Add the water to the mixture and pulse, once again.  Your mixture should be a paste which resembles thick, chunky peanut butter.  If you ball it up and it holds together without crumbling, it’s good to go.  If you ball it up and it immediately falls apart, it’s too dry and needs a little more water.  Add a tablespoon of water and pulse again.  Then, do the ball test.  If it’s still too dry, add more water and pulse again.

In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high.  Scoop the falafel mix into your hand using a portion scoop, then flatten slightly.  Scoop as much of the mix as you can fit onto a plate or platter.  Separately, make sure you have a tray that’s been lined with paper towels to drain the cooked falafel on when they come out of the oil.

Fry four to five balls of falafel at a time for four to four and a half minutes, or until they are a deep brown color.  Turn the falafel balls once to cook on both sides.  Remove the balls from the oil using a slotted spoon.  Drain them on the paper-towel lined dish. Continue frying until all are cooked.

Once all your falafel has been fried, serve it immediately.  You can also keep in a storage container and reheat in the oven on a foil-lined sheet pan.  Heat for ten minutes at 350°F, or until warmed through.

Koshari

For the Crispy Onion Topping:
2 large onions, minced
Salt
1 cup cooking oil

Make the crispy onion topping – in a large skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat.  Cook the minced onion, stirring often, until they turn a nice caramelized brown. Add a generous amount of salt to help the onions crisp.  Onions must be crispy, but not burned (15-20 minutes).

For Tomato Sauce:

Cooking oil
1 small onion, grated
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp ground coriander
½ -1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 28-oz can tomato sauce
Salt and pepper
1-2 tbsp distilled white vinegar

Make the tomato sauce – in a saucepan, heat 1 tbsp cooking oil.  Add the grated onion, cook on medium-high until the onion turns a translucent gold (do not brown).  Now add the garlic, coriander, and red pepper flakes, if using, and saute briefly until fragrant (30-45 seconds more).

Stir in tomato sauce and pinch of salt.  Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens (15 minutes or so).

Stir in the distilled white vinegar, and turn the heat to low.  Cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

For Koshari:

1 ½ cup brown lentils, picked over and well rinsed
1 ½ cup medium-grain rice, rinsed, soaked in water for 15 minutes, drained
½ tsp each salt and pepper
½ tsp coriander
2 cups elbow pasta
Cooking oil
Water
1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

Make the Koshari – Bring lentils and 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot or saucepan over high heat.  Add 1 tsp of cumin and 1 tsp of garlic powder.  Reduce the heat to low and cook until lentils are just tender (15-17 minutes).  Drain from water and season with a little salt. 

Cook the rice in the saucepan over medium-high heat with 1 tbsp cooking oil, salt, pepper, and coriander.  Cook for 3 minutes, stirring regularly.  Bring to a boil, then cover and cook until all the liquid has been absorbed.

Cook the pasta al dente.  Drain.

Warm the canned chickpeas on the stove and add 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander, and garlic powder. Add salt to taste.

To serve, fluff the rice and lentils with a fork and transfer to a serving platter. Top with the elbow pasta and ½ of the tomato sauce, then the chickpeas, and finally ½ of the crispy onions for garnish.

Moussaka

Ingredients:  
4 medium potatoes, sliced into circles
2 medium eggplants, sliced into circles
24 oz. spaghetti sauce
4 Tbsp canola or grapeseed oil
1 small onion, thinly sliced
½ a bell pepper, thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 Tbsp ground cumin
1 Tbsp ground coriander
½ cup warm water
Salt and black pepper
Parsley or cilantro for garnish

Directions:

Heat 2 Tbsp of oil in a wide cast-iron or frying pan over high heat and saute the eggplant until golden brown.

Grease a casserole dish and spread a layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom.  Place sliced potatoes in the bottom of the dish and cover with another layer of sauce. 

Add a layer of sauteed eggplant and top with the sliced onion, bell pepper, garlic, and tomatoes. 

Mix the cumin and coriander in the warm water and pour evenly over the layer of vegetables.  Top with remaining spaghetti sauce.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 min.  Bake longer for a softer potato layer.

Garnish with parsley or cilantro and serve with warm pita.

Baked Sweet Potato Falafels

Ingredients:

1 ½ lbs. sweet potatoes  
1 ½ tsp. ground cumin  
2 small cloves garlic (chopped)  
1 ½ tsp. ground coriander  
2 big handfuls of fresh cilantro (chopped)  
Juice of half a lemon  
Scant cup chickpea flour  
Splash of olive oil  
Sprinkling of toasted sesame seed  
Salt and pepper 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F and roast sweet potatoes until just tender – 45 minutes to  1 hour. Cool and peel.  

Put the sweet potatoes, cumin, garlic, ground coriander, cilantro, lemon juice  and chickpea flour in a large bowl. Mash until smooth with no large chunks.  Refrigerate for up to an hour. Mix should be sticky rather than really wet. If  necessary, add a tablespoon or so of chickpea flour (water content of sweet  potatoes varies).  

Heat oven to 400°F. Scoop mixture with spoon or scoop, shape into ball (as  large or small as you prefer) and place on oiled baking sheet. Spray with olive  oil, sprinkle with sesame seed, than add salt and pepper to taste.  

Bake about 15 minutes until bases of the balls are golden brown.  

Additional Notes:

Play around with size and shape. We like these flattened a little and have browned them in a skillet before baking. Good with soup or as an appetizer.

Quinoa with Roasted Butternut Squash

Serves 8-10

Ingredients: 

2 to 3 pounds butternut squash  (peeled, seeded, and cubed).*
Olive oil spray 
2 cups quinoa, rinsed 
3 cups vegetable broth or water
1 to 1½ cups Medjool dates  (pitted and chopped)
3 Tbs. fresh sage (chopped)
Salt and pepper to taste
High-quality olive oil

 *Frozen squash will not work in this recipe. If you  purchase pre-prepped squash you will probably need about 1½ pounds.  

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.

Directions:

Place butternut squash on sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Spray with olive oil  and season with salt and pepper. Roast squash until fork tender. Depending on the  size of the pieces of squash you have this should take 30 to 40 minutes. 

Place quinoa in a large dry skillet. Roast over medium heat until fragrant, 5 to 10  minutes. Stir frequently. Add vegetable broth or water to quinoa in skillet. Season to  taste with salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until  liquid is absorbed, about 25 minutes. Stir frequently.  

Remove quinoa from heat and set aside, still covered. Steam will complete cooking. Allow quinoa to cool slightly. Toss in roasted squash, dates, and sage leaves. Taste  and adjust seasonings. (Fresh sage can be expensive. Try subbing some poultry  seasoning instead if this is a concern.) 

Toss quinoa mix gently with a little bit of high-quality olive oil. Serve slightly warm or room temperature.

Additional Notes:

We added 8 ounces sautéed sliced mushrooms, 3 or 4 sliced green onions, and 2  cups baby spinach. Add the spinach while the quinoa is still warm so greens will wilt  a little. Roast pumpkin seeds and serve on the side to add some nice crunchy  texture to this dish. 

If you or your friends or family do not like dates, try substituting chopped dried apricots or apples, or golden raisins. Whatever dried fruit you use, start with ¾ to 1  cup and add to suit your taste. If you don’t like the dried fruit at all, substitute some shredded carrots. Add carrot to warm quinoa to cook slightly.

Tandoori Peppers

Yields 4 whole peppers or 8 half peppers.

Ingredients:
4 large sweet peppers, red, yellow, or orange (green peppers won’t work)
2 Tbs. fresh lemon or lime juice
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, chopped or put through press
1⁄2 inch piece fresh ginger root
1⁄4 tsp. salt

Directions:

If serving whole peppers, carefully cut the cap end off and set aside. Clean the seeds  and veins out of the peppers and set caps and peppers aside. If serving half peppers,  cut the peppers into “boats” by slicing vertically from top to bottom and proceed as  directed. *We prefer the half peppers.  

Prepare marinade by placing juice, oil, garlic, ginger root, and salt in a food processor;  whirl until mixture is smooth. Brush insides of peppers with marinade and set aside while you prepare the filling. 

Filling:

2 Tbs. oil  
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. ground turmeric  
1 large fresh ripe tomato, finely  chopped, drain off extra liquid 
2 Tbs. golden raisins  
¼ to ½ cup hummus 
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper (or more to taste)  
1 medium onion (finely chopped) 
1 clove garlic (minced or pressed) 
1 large potato (about 1¼ cups) peeled  and cut into ¼” cubes* 
Salt and sugar to taste  
Carrot hummus
Optional: ¼ cup cilantro (chopped)  

*We like to substitute this with sweet potato 

Directions:
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds, turmeric,  onion, garlic, and cayenne pepper. Sauté just until the onion is beginning to brown,  about 5 minutes.  

Add the potato, cabbage, tomato, and raisins and cook for 2 minutes then reduce the  heat to low. Cover and cook the vegetable mixture until the potatoes and cabbage are  just soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 or 15 minutes. After 10 minutes, if vegetable  mixture is wet, uncover and cook off some of the liquid. Stir in the cilantro, if using, and  cook an additional minute. 

Stir in the hummus and remove from heat. Stir in any leftover marinade, taste, and adjust seasonings. Add additional salt, pepper, or a little sugar if mixture has any bitterness.  Spoon the filling into the peppers.

If cooking peppers whole, put caps in place, anchoring them with toothpicks if necessary. Either grill the peppers for 20 to 30 minutes, until soft and glossy or bake at 350°F in a foil-lined pan for about 30 to 40 minutes. If grilling half peppers, cover partway through with foil if the filling starts to dry out. 

 We enjoy this recipe with Lantana Sriracha.

Additional notes:  

These are worth the time and getting stained by the turmeric. They are good both ways  but are terrific grilled. Leave them on the grill long enough to let the skin char just a little.  Serve hot.  

The little sweet peppers that have recently appeared in markets make good appetizers when stuffed and heated through. Just cut off and discard the caps – no need to try to seed these. Proceed as directed but watch these as they cook quickly.  

I have had good luck using well-drained canned diced tomato when good fresh tomatoes are not available.