Savory Citrus-Blueberry Collard Dolmas with Spiced Roasted Edamame

Many of our favorite dishes successfully cover the spicy-salty-sour-sweet spectrum of flavors, and are therefore immensely satisfying (Thai food, we're looking at you). These flavorful, portable wraps achieve something similar. Brilliant green leaves are stuffed with fluffy brown rice as a canvas for salty and savory umeboshi and liquid smoke, tart lemon juice, and sweet blueberries and orange juice. Serve up your spice on the side by roasting shelled edamame in a simple, irresistible blend of spices.

If you've never made collard wraps before, don't be shy. Blanched collard leaves make gorgeous bright green wrappers that are surprisingly sturdy and easy to work with.

Savory Citrus-Blueberry Collard Dolmas

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1 small/medium red onion (5-6 oz total weight), peeled and finely diced

2 umeboshi plums, pitted and minced

1 tsp liquid smoke

2 cups water

1 cup dry brown basmati rice (or rice of your choice)

10-12 small/medium collard leaves (collard leaves can be quite large, so even small leaves won't actually be small--look for leaves about the size of your hand with your fingers spread wide), or about 6 large, if you can't find smaller leaves

1/2 cup frozen blueberries, thawed

juice and zest of 1 lemon

large handful parsley (scant bunch)

1 TBSP extra virgin olive oil

1 TBSP orange juice (from a carton/bottle is just fine)

pinch fine sea salt or kosher salt

Combine the red onion, umeboshi, liquid smoke, and 2 cups water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil. Add the rice, cover, bring back to a boil, and reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, until the water is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 45 minutes.

While the rice cooks, prepare the edamame (see below). While the edamame cooks,  trim the collard leaves: With scissors, cut out the thick middle stem by cutting a "v" upwards into the leaf. You won't get rid of the middle vein entirely, but you do want the thickest, tough portion gone. You'll cut about a third of the way up into the leaf; halfway, if it's necessary. Stack them, neatly spread out, on top of each other.

Bring a pot of water to boil (large enough to fit all your leaves with several inches of space left at the top of the pot). Carefully submerge the stack of collard leaves into the boiling water and cook until very bright green and tender, 1-2 minutes. (Note that they'll brighten very quickly, but keep cooking for a minute to ensure your leaves are tender to the tooth.) Drain well and set aside.

Combine the blueberries, lemon juice and zest, and parsley in a chopper or small food processor and process until finely chopped. When the rice is finished, stir the blueberry-parsley mixture into the rice and set aside. 

To assemble, in a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, orange juice, and salt. Lay one collard leaf flat, brush with the oil-juice mixture and place a scant 1/4 cup of filling down near the top of the "v" you cut into the leaf. Fold in the sides and roll it up. Repeat with remaining leaves and filling.

Spiced Roasted Edamame

1 cup frozen shelled edamame

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/16-1/8 tsp ground cayenne, to taste

1/8 tsp salt

1 TBSP vegetable oil (we used peanut)

Preheat the oven to 400.

Toss all ingredients together well and roast until edamame is browning and has crisped a bit, 35-40 minutes. (Alternately, you can continue to roast until crunchy, but be very carefuly not to burn.)

Butter Bean Tzatziki Two Ways Served with Baked Falafel

As you may have noticed, we're nuts about beans. They keep us sated and energized, and there are so many types that can all be used in lots of different ways. As every hummus lover knows, add a little fat and seasoning to any bean, and you get an addictive dip/spread. Add a bit more fat, and you get a seriously versatile sauce. Here we added traditional tzatziki seasonings to naturally creamy butter beans and used the sauce to smother our pitas stuffed with this baked falafel recipe (from this book), which we made into 12 smaller patties rather than the six large called for in the recipe. (Note that there should also be the juice of half a lemon listed after the lemon zest.)

Butter Bean Tzatziki Two Ways

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1 small, or half a large (about 5 oz total weight), cucumber, peeled

1 medium (about 4 oz total weight) beet, peeled

1 can butter beans, drained, but not rinsed

1/4 cup vegetable oil (we like safflower for this)

juice of half a lemon

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1 tsp dried dill weed

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or kosher salt)

a few cracks of black pepper

Grate the cucumber and beet and place into two separate bowls (you should get about 1/2 cup of each, once grated). Set aside while you prepare the falafel dough.

While the falafel bakes, add the beans, oil, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt, and pepper to a small food processor and blend until very creamy--this may take a minute. Again, you want to drain the beans, but don't rinse them. The starch that clings to them will give the sauce a silkier consistency.

By now, your grated vegetables will have given off a lot of their water. Gently squeeze them and drain off any excess liquid. Divide the butter bean mixture in half and add it to the grated vegetables. Stir well and serve.

Beet Confit Pan Bagnat scrounged from a Winter Pantry

When fresh seasonal produce is scarce, preserved foods can save the day. Here, intensely lemony (and garlicky) black olive tapenade offsets earthy beets turned succulent through slow cooking in olive oil. Fresh and dried herbs, sweet roasted peppers from a jar, and tender baby spinach make for flavorful finishing touches. With this many layers, sandwiches for dinner are no joke.

Note: We recommend making the beet confit the day before you plan to make the sandwich, which really makes this dish a snap to assemble. 

Beet Confit Winter-Pantry Pan Bagnat

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serves 4

1/2 lb fresh beets (root only), trimmed, peeled, and halved

1/4 cup olive oil

1 6-oz can pitted black olives, drained (about 1 1/4 cups)

zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

2 umeboshi, pitted (these are very salty preserved plums--we get ours in the Asian section of the co-op)

2 cloves garlic

2 TBSP capers, drained

1 tsp red wine vinegar

1 TBSP olive oil

1 baguette, cut in half lengthwise (as always, we prefer Flour Head)

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp fresh thyme

1 tsp dried oregano

2 roasted peppers (we used jarred red that we already had on hand for ease, but yellow peppers are gorgeous paired with beets), cut into large strips

large handful baby spinach (or any tender green you like)

Place the beets, cut-side down, in a small slow cooker. Pour the 1/4 cup olive oil over and cook on low for 6 hours. When they're done, remove them from the slow cooker and let cool to room temperature (alternately, make the beets a day in advance and simply refrigerate until ready to use). Slice into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

In a chopper or food processor, combine the olives, lemon juice and zest, 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, red pepper flakes, pitted umeboshi, garlic, capers, and vinegar. Process until you get a textured paste, then stir in the 1 TBSP olive oil.

To assemble: On the bottom half of the baguette, spread the tapenade (it will be a very thick layer). Add the beet confit slices.

Whisk together the garlic powder, 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, and dried oregano, and sprinkle over the beet slices. Lay the pepper slices on top, pile on as much spinach as possible, and wrap tightly in plastic wrap or foil. Let sit for 1-2 hours at room temperature before serving.

Two-Bean, Celery, and Potato Salad with Capers and Mustard-Lemon Dressing

Nourishing, smoky beans with crisp, distinctive celery and salty capers all come together to bolster the familiar oil-dressed potato salad. Dense and flavorful, this salad is hefty enough to qualify as a meal on its own, but it would be an especially satisfying winter meal paired with a bowl of warm, broth-based soup, like our garlic and greens soup. Simply omit the beans to avoid legume overload, or, if you prefer to retain the extra calories and protein, substitute for the butter beans any grain (rice, orzo pasta, barley, &c.) or cubed tofu.

Two-Bean, Celery, and Potato Salad with Capers and Mustard-Lemon Dressing

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serves 2-3, adapted from Food & Wine, April 2008

generous half cup cannellini beans, soaked for 8 hours (or 1 15-oz can cooked, drained)

generous half cup kidney beans, soaked for 8 hours (or 1 15-oz can cooked, drained)

1 tsp liquid smoke, or to taste

1 lb small red or Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces

1 TBSP oil

juice of half a lemon

2 tsp stone ground mustard

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

fine sea salt and pepper, to taste

3 stalks celery, with leaves, very thinly sliced

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 TBSP capers, drained

Preheat the oven to 450.

Add both soaked beans to a pot with 3 cups of water and the liquid smoke. Bring the water to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook with the lid cocked until the beans are tender, 45 minutes to an hour (or longer, if necessary--it can depend on the age of your beans, just stir them periodically to avoid sticking and to make sure they don't run out of water). Salt generously in the last minutes of cooking. If using canned beans, drain and rinse them, and transfer to a serving bowl.

Meanwhile, toss the diced potatoes with 1 TBSP oil and roast until golden and browned in spots, 35-45 minutes.

While the beans and potatoes cook, whisk together the lemon juice, mustard, and oil. Season, gently, to taste with salt and pepper. Set aside while you chop the celery and chives.

When the beans and potatoes have finished, thoroughly toss the beans, celery, chives, capers, and dressing. Adjust seasoning. Add the potatoes and toss gently. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Potatoes in Pipian Rojo Tacos with Three-Pepper Relish

These destroy every last winter blah. We roasted creamy Yukon gold potatoes and smothered them with a silky red sauce made rich by the addition of toasted sesame and pumpkin seeds. On top, a fresh green relish is the perfect complement to brighten up the dish and cut some of the richness. Because the sauce is done in two stages, we admit the recipe seems a little fussy, but it's not difficult. And it's totally worth it. And with fresh tortillas, totally good enough to serve when entertaining casually.

Potatoes in Pipian Rojo (for Tacos) with Three-Pepper Relish

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makes about 2 dozen tacos

For the potatoes in pipian rojo

2 lbs potatoes (we used Yukon gold), cut into 1-inch dice

3 TBSP vegetable oil (we used peanut), divided

5 cups water

2 vegetable bouillon cubes (no salt added, or low sodium)

1/3 cup sesame seeds

2/3 cup raw pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1 onion, sliced

3 garlic cloves, halved

3 dried ancho chiles, seeded and roughly chopped/torn (we last got ours at La Esperanza at Washington Pike and Whittle Springs Rd and were pleased with the freshness)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp salt

For the three-pepper relish

1 large green bell pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1 medium poblano pepper, seeded and roughly chopped

1 medium-large jalapeno, seeded (as desired) and roughly chopped

1 sun-dried tomato in oil

generous 1/4 tsp salt

juice of half a lime

To serve

tortillas

Preheat the oven to 450 while you chop your potatoes.

In a roasting pan, toss the diced potatoes with 2 TBSP of the oil and cook, stirring every 20 minutes, until golden and browned on the edges, about 45-55 minutes. When finished, set aside.

Meanwhile, heat 5 cups water in a medium sauce pan with the bouillon cubes. Once dissolved, turn the heat off, but cover loosely to keep the broth warm.

While the cubes soften, in a dry skillet or two-burner griddle, toast the sesame seeds and pepitas, tossing frequently and being careful not to burn them. (We used the double-burner griddle, and put the seeds on separate ends so that we could toast them both simultaneously, but pull one end off a burner when they were finished. If you don't have a griddle, you can simply toast the seeds in two batches. Toast the sesame seeds until fragrant and a bit darkened, then the pepitas until they pop and begin to turn golden.) Set aside.

In large pot, heat the remaining 1 TBSP of oil over medium heat. Saute the onions and garlic until the onions soften and just begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the ancho pieces, and stir to coat with the oil for about a minute. Add oregano, cumin, paprika, and salt, plus 4 ladles of broth (about 2 cups), then reduce the heat, and simmer for 15 minutes.

While the pot simmers, grind the toasted seeds in a coffee grinder or food processor (a coffee grinder will result in a smoother final sauce) and set aside. Make the relish by placing all ingredients in a chopper or food processor until finely chopped. Adjust the salt and lime juice, if necessary.

Carefully puree the hot onion-chile mixture in a separate container, then pour it through a mesh strainer back into the pot, pushing it through with the back of a large spoon. The resulting sauce will be incredibly silky. Return the sauce to medium heat, and add the ground seeds and the remaining broth. Simmer until thickened, another 10-15 minutes.

To serve: Pour the sauce over the roasted potatoes and stir well. Some of the potatoes will mash a bit during this process, and that's okay. Good, actually. Keep the potatoes warm in a low oven (no higher than 200) while you prepare your tortillas so the mixture can continue to thicken [see Note]. Assemble tacos immediately and top with the three-pepper relish.

[Note: Fresh tortillas are always recommended (that's a variation on the recipe we make from Viva Vegan!). Tacos are good, but they become seriously great when you take the extra time to make a batch of tortillas right before digging in. But here's the important part: The thicker sauce that results from sitting in the low oven for the additional 15-20 minutes it takes to make the tortillas is a filling much more fitting for a handheld foodstuff. Without thickening, the sauce would probably be too messy for tacos.

Even if you're using packaged tortillas, you can still make this happen. Just put the filling in the oven while you warm the tortillas in a skillet or griddle on the stove top. (If you don't want to make your own tortillas, at least warm the ones you buy. It makes a difference, especially in texture and pliability.) 

Or, finally, skip all that and simply serve the potatoes in their saucier form over rice or polenta, or with warm tortillas on the side for scooping and dipping. We're flexible. But we really loved these as tacos.]

Black Pepper Chickpea Crackers Plus Cauliflower Soup with Smoky, Blood Orange-Scented Oyster Mushrooms

Warm, layered, and simple to put together, this meal is perfect for winter evenings, and versatile, too. The blood orange oil from The Tree & Vine on Union Avenue was a gift from a friend, and while it adds a touch of complexity to this otherwise traditionally comforting soup, it's not essential. Feel free to use any good olive oil you have on hand--or even melted unrefined coconut oil--for a milder fruity note (or if you're really craving straight-ahead comfort, substitute melted nondairy butter). Meanwhile, these crackers are addictive when crunchy, but they also make great savory little flatbreads: just roll them into small rounds and reduce the baking time a bit to leave them soft and pliable.

Black Pepper Chickpea Crackers

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adapted from Everyday Food, March 2011

1 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 tsp prepared yellow mustard

1 1/2 tsp ground coriander

3/4 tsp finely ground sea salt (or kosher salt), plus more for sprinkling

3/4 tsp freshly cracked pepper

1 cup whole white wheat flour (we use King Arthur, or use all-purpose [see Note])

1/2 cup nutritional yeast (we get ours from the bulk bins at the co-op--if you've never tried nutritional yeast before, this is a great way to find out that it's convenient, flavorful, and versatile)

1/4 cup oil (we used peanut)

Preheat oven to 350.

In a food processor, process the chickpeas, mustard, coriander, salt, and pepper until the chickpeas are finely chopped. Add flour, nutritional yeast, and peanut oil, and process until combined. 

With the motor running, add 5 TBSP cold water, one TBSP at a time, until a ball of dough forms. [Note: if you use all-purpose flour instead of wheat, you likely won't need as much water. Just add water 1 TBSP at a time until your dough forms.] Divide the dough in two and roll out each ball to 1/8-inch thickness. Use a pizza cutter to cut the crackers into 1x3-inch strips.

Place the crackers on a parchment-lined baking sheet, sprinkle the tops with coarse salt, and bake for 25-30 min. (This will make two very large batches, so if you have the equipment, you can bake them on two racks simultaneously. We did ours in batches.)

Cauliflower Soup with Smoky, Blood Orange-Scented Oyster Mushrooms

serves 4, adapted from Eric Ripert's A Return to Cooking

about 8 oyster mushrooms, very tender caps only, 4 oz total, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 TBSP blood orange oil

1 tsp liquid smoke

5 cups water

1 cube no-salt-added (or low-salt) vegetable bouillon

1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and roughly chopped

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup hemp seeds (or cashews, if you have a powerful blender)

1 1/2 cups water

4 small sprigs fresh dill, stems discarded

finely ground sea salt and white pepper

Stir together the chopped mushrooms, orange oil, and liquid smoke. Set aside.

In a large pot, heat the 5 cups water together with the bouillon. When it has dissolved, add the cauliflower, reduce heat, and simmer until very tender, 25-30 min.

While the cauliflower cooks, blend together very thoroughly the 1/4 cup oil, hemp seeds, and 1 1/2 cups water. (Alternately, you can substitute the hemp seeds/cashews and water combination for 1 1/2 cups of any nondairy milk you have on hand--it won't be as rich, but it will still be tasty).

When the cauliflower is cooked, use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Add dill, season to taste with salt and white pepper, and return the pot to low heat. Stir in the cream mixture and adjust seasoning as needed.

While the soup gently reheats, sear the mushrooms--which should have absorbed all the oil and liquid smoke--just until tender, a minute or so. (We used a countertop electric grill for easy double-sided searing.)

To serve, add a couple spoonfuls of mushrooms to the bottom of a bowl and ladle the soup on top. Serve immediately.

Party Animals No. 11: Dead Simple White Bean Crostini for the Last Party of the Year

When your (lovely) friends throw one last potluck at the end of December, and you've had your fill of cakes, cookies, and planning in general? Retreat to the comfort of simple, unfussy party food marked by a couple of clean, fresh flavors (parsley and lemon, hello) so you can enjoy the night with your pals without tearing out a single hair. Plus, it'll be a surprisingly in-demand palette cleanser for the whole crowd.

White Bean Crostini

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1 baguette (as always, we prefer Flour Head), sliced, plus crackers, for serving (not pictured: we grabbed a box of Back to Nature's Stone Ground Wheat Crackers on the way to the party)

1 handful (about 1/2 bunch) parsley

3 TBSP olive oil, divided

juice of 1 lemon

2 TBSP water

1 clove garlic

2 TBSP pine nuts

1/2 tsp salt

2 15-oz cans navy beans, drained and rinsed

black pepper, to taste

Preheat the broiler and place the top rack a few inches from the heat source. Put the bread slices in to toast. Check every two to three minutes, and remove when golden.

Meanwhile, blend together the parsley, 2 TBSP of oil, lemon juice, water, garlic, pine nuts, and salt. Place the beans in a mixing bowl, add dressing, and mash loosely with a potato masher, fork, or wooden spoon until the mixture is creamy, but still very chunky with lots of visible beans. Pour on the remaining TBSP of oil, stir, and season to taste with additional salt and black pepper.

Party Animals No. 10: Cinnamon Rolls for Xmas Brunch

Cinnamon rolls from The Joy of Vegan Baking. Huge and crazy sweet--gorgeous in every sense of the word.

Party Animals No. 9: Xmas Eve Dinner of Butter Bean-Spinach Risotto with Nut-Crusted Okra plus Whole Lemon and Pear Galettes

We can't get enough of our crusted vegetables. In addition to mushrooms, we've made onion rings, eggplant marinara, and zucchini fritters. Twice. We'll take any excuse to make this recipe, this time in the form of okra, and we found just the creamy, fluffy bed to lay it on.

After the hefty main course, we turned to the famous Shaker lemon pie for inspiration, but cut out the effort of making pie dough. Instead, we served light, flaky phyllo galettes topped with pear slices. If you've never made dessert with whole lemons, you're missing out. The macerated bitter pith and rind give complexity to the overwhelmingly sour juice and pulp. Resist the urge to reduce the sugar called for, and you'll be rewarded with a depth of flavor missing from standard canary-yellow sweet-tart treats.

Butter Bean-Spinach Risotto with Nut-Crusted Okra

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adapted from Bon Appetit, serves 3-4

For the okra:

3/4 cup raw, unsalted almonds

2 TBSP unsalted walnuts

1/2 tsp salt

black pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/8 tsp garlic powder

30 fresh okra pods, about 3/4 lb (or use frozen [see Note])

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1 TBSP cornmeal

5 TBSP water

Preheat the oven to 425.

In a chopper or food processor, grind the almonds, walnuts, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder into a coarse meal. Transfer nut mixture to a pie plate. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, cornmeal, and 5 TBSP water.

Dip the okra into the chickpea batter, shake off excess, and press into the nut mixture on both sides. Bake for 12 minutes, flip, and bake for 8 minutes more.

[Note: Whole okra pods are easier to use, because they're bigger, but if all you have is cut frozen okra, it should still work. Allow the okra to thaw partially--you want the pieces to remain very firm--dry it, and proceed with the recipe as written.]

For the risotto:

1 tsp olive oil

1 large handful baby spinach (or any large-leafed green, chopped)

4 cups vegetable broth, not tomato-based

1 TBSP olive oil

1/2 small onion, finely chopped

3/4 cups arborio rice

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 15-oz can butter beans, drained and rinsed

Heat the teaspoon of oil and wilt the spinach for 2-3 minutes. If you're preparing your broth from bouillon cubes, simply keep it warm after dissolving. If not, warm gently.

Meanwhile, heat the tablespoon of oil and saute the onion until it softens, a couple of minutes, then add rice and stir to coat with the oil, a couple minutes more. Add wine and cook until it has been absorbed (this should only take a minute). Add 2 ladles of broth--about a cup--and simmer until it has been absorbed, another couple of minutes. Continue adding broth one ladleful at a time until each round has been absorbed. This will take another 20 minutes or so.

When the rice is creamy and tender and the broth is gone, stir in the spinach and the beans, season to taste, and serve when warmed through.

Whole Lemon-Pear Phyllo Galettes

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makes 2 small galettes, serves 4-6

1 lemon (about 4 oz in weight)

1 cup natural cane sugar

2 TBSP coconut oil, melted, plus more for brushing

1/4 tsp salt

4 oz silken tofu

8 sheets thawed phyllo dough

1 small pear, sliced

1 tsp turbinado or brown sugar

With a serrated knife, slice the lemon as thinly as you can, discarding the thick, tough ends. If you concentrate on slicing the rind as thinly as possible, you won't get nice whole, round slices--that's just fine. Some juice and pulp will leak out onto the cutting board, and you can salvage it all, so just make sure you slice the rind very thinly. Stir together the lemon and the sugar and let macerate for 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 350. 

Blend together the melted coconut oil, salt, and tofu until very creamy. Stir the tofu mixture thoroughly into the lemon mixture.

Lay the phyllo sheets, long side toward you (portrait orientation), and cut in half. You will now have 16 rectangles. Stack 8 rectangles, brushing each layer with melted coconut oil, and alternating directions (portrait and landscape) with each layer.

Into the center, pour half of the lemon mixture (a generous half cup). The lemon mix will be quite loose, so you'll want to work quickly as you place half the pear slices on top and fold the edges of the phyllo dough in (make sure you fold the dough over so there are no holes for the filling to leak out of in the oven). Repeat with the remaining half of the dough and filling.

Sprinkle the teaspoon of turbinado over the tops of both galettes and bake, covered, for 20 minutes, then remove the cover and bake another 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly.

Stacked Vegetable and Creamy Tofu Sandwich with Garlic, Greens, and Butter Bean Soup

A light meal that's guaranteed to hit the spot, this soup and sandwich combo is definitely not light on flavor or color. Earthy beets, crispy carrots, sweet pear slices, and tender spinach are piled high over a tangy, fluffy spread made in a snap by combining firm tofu with a potent prepared hummus. To go along, we knew the classic pairing of creamy butter beans and dark greens bolstered by a sprinkling herbs was just the thing to go with a surplus of garlic we had on hand. Together, they're a welcome antidote to the rich fare that abounds in December. On the other hand, if you need a little more heft, simply make a larger batch of tofu spread and slather it on thick. Or save that extra room for an after-dinner dip into the Christmas cookie jar.

Stacked Vegetable and Creamy Tofu Sandwich

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serves 4, adapted from Everyday Food, November, 2010

8 slices wheat bread

2 oz extra firm tofu

2 oz prepared hummus (we use Tomato Head's)

1 medium beet, shredded

juice of 1 lime, divided

1 pear, thinly sliced

1 cup shredded carrots

2 cups loosely packed baby spinach, or green of choice

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp cracked black pepper

In a food processor, combine the tofu and hummus until a fluffy, creamy mixture forms. Divide the tofu spread into four equal servings of about 1 TBSP each.

Stir the juice from half of the lime into the shredded beets. Pour the juice from the other half of the lime over the pear slices and toss gently. In a small dish, stir together the salt and pepper.

To assemble the sandwiches, divide one serving (1/4 of the whole batch) of the tofu-hummus mixture in half and spread a layer on two slices of bread. Top one slice with beets, carrots, pear slices, and spinach leaves. Sprinkle a little of the salt and pepper over the tofu spread on the other slice and place on top. Grill on a counter-top electric grill or on a griddle/pan on the stove top until golden.

Garlic, Greens, and Butter Bean Soup

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serves 4

8 cups vegetable broth

1 head garlic (about 8 large cloves), minced

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 bay leaf

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

1 bunch Italian kale, or other dark, leafy green, chopped

1 15-oz can butter beans, drained and rinsed

Bring the broth to a boil in a covered soup pot. Add garlic, oregano, thyme, cumin, bay leaf, and pepper. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add the chopped kale. Cook with the lid cocked for an additional 10 minutes. Add the beans and continue to cook until warmed through.

Party Animals Nos. 6, 7, and 8: Xmas Party, Potluck with Pals, and Holiday Gift Baking

1. For the xmas party we attended, purple potatoes with cashew cream from Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's The Vegan Table. Happily, this book is also available at Lawson-McGhee (641.5636 PATR).

2. For our semi-monthly potluck with pals, polenta sticks (again, from The Vegan Table, but we omitted the sun-dried tomatoes and sliced our polenta into sticks, which we broiled, instead of cutting out squares and pan frying) with the decadent, thoroughly addictive mojo dipping sauce from Terry Hope Romero's Viva Vegan!

3. MSV's own baked old-fashioned mini doughnuts with vanilla glaze. For now, at least, this recipe remains a house secret.

And for our closest friends, the truly wonderful crunchy peanut butter bon bons from Spork-Fed. A few notes: we substituted coconut oil for the EB, reduced the powdered sugar to 1 cup, made our own bread crumbs from 4 slices of Flour Head's everyday wheat loaf (just toast well and process into crumbs), and used our go-to dark chocolate bars for the reasons stated in that post. These are incredible, a cross between Reese's Cups and a Butterfinger bar. But with ingredients of a much higher quality.

Spinach and Bean Burritos with Mango-Habanero Salsa

These are for the days when you're seriously considering fast food for dinner, but can't seriously consider fast food for dinner. These are for the days when kitchen innovation is impossible to contemplate, but your tongue could use some inspiration. This is a plate that brings the comfort with basic, honest ingredients: creamy, satisfying refried beans are quickly enhanced with a few spices and a heap of spinach for your health. The sweet, fiery salsa is fresh, invigorating, and a dead simple way to add a touch of complexity to a classically comforting meal.

Spinach and Bean Burritos with Mango-Habanero Salsa

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yields 8 burritos

2 16-oz cans vegetarian refried beans

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp smoked paprika

12 oz fresh baby spinach (or large fresh spinach, chopped)

1 TBSP oil

8 flour tortillas ("taco" size; use whole grain, as we did, or white, if you prefer)

1 cup cubed frozen mango, thawed (or fresh)

1 habanero pepper, seeded

handful cilantro (generous 1/4 cup)

juice of 1 lime

1/4 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 350.

In a very large skillet over medium heat, stir together the beans, cumin, coriander, and paprika. Top with the spinach and oil and cook, stirring, until the spinach is very wilted and the whole mixture is very creamy, about 5 minutes. (Stirring all this will take some effort initially, but will become very easy toward the end. Be patient, and add the spinach in batches if your pan is not large enough to hold all the fresh leaves at once.) Season with salt and pepper, if needed (we didn't need to add any salt).

When the mixture is very creamy, assemble all 8 burritos using about 1/2 cup of filling per tortilla. Place each one seam-side down in a 9x13 baking dish. Bake until the tortillas begin to crisp gently at the edges and the burritos are hot, about 20 minutes.

While the burritos bake, blend together the mango, habanero, cilantro, lime juice, and salt.

Serve immediately.

Lemon Pots for Two (and Two and Two and Two)

The perfect finish to a cozy dinner at home, these sweet and zippy pots are made in advance and hang out quietly in the fridge, ready to go like leftovers. But they present in ramekins like a special treat and are the perfect size for sharing.

Lemon Pots for Two

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serves 8

5 large dates, pitted

1 cup raw almonds

1/4 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp agar powder [see Note] (we get ours at Just Ripe)

2 cups water

1/4 cup cashews, finely ground (a coffee grinder works best)

2 TBSP corn starch dissolved in 1/4 cup water

juice and zest of 2 lemons

1/2 cup natural cane sugar

In a food processor, process the dates, almonds, and salt until a sticky dough forms that coheres when pressed. Press firmly into the bottoms of four four-inch-diameter ramekins and set aside in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

In a small pot over medium heat, heat the agar powder and 2 cups water, whisking frequently, until the agar is fully dissolved, 3-5 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the ground cashews into the corn starch and water mixture.

When the agar is dissolved, increase the heat and add all other ingredients. Continue to whisk and cook until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is bubbly and thickened, another 5 + minutes.

Pour evenly into the ramekins and refrigerate overnight [see Note].

[Note: Agar powder sets up very firmly, like gelatin. Here we use a very small amount to firm the tops, but leave the interior more creamy. If you prefer a firmer texture, or want a shortened set time, double the agar powder.]

Grilled Romaine Salad with Nut-Crusted Mushrooms, Capers, and Sweet-Hot Mustard Dressing

We're romanced by most tools and foods that encourage slowing down at ordinary meals. Think dipping sauces, chopsticks, and vegetables that require you to get in there with your paws like edamame and artichokes. The fork and knife pair is no exception. Here we put them to work on a salad equal parts elegant and comforting: Romaine leaves get grilled to a brilliant green, humble button mushrooms are made filling and satisfyingly savory when covered in a salty layer of crunchy almonds and buttery walnuts, and to top it off we've adapted a date-mustard dressing by using a more potent stone-ground mustard and toning down the acid to ensure it works in harmony with a smattering of pert capers. 

Grilled Romaine Salad with Nut-Crusted Mushrooms, Capers, and a Sweet-Hot Mustard Dressing

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serves 2

For the mushrooms:

8 oz button mushrooms

3/4 cup raw almonds

2 TBSP walnuts

1/2 tsp salt

freshly cracked black pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

1/8 tsp garlic powder

1/4 cup chickpea flour

1 TBSP cornmeal

5 TBSP water

For the sweet-hot mustard dressing:

adapted from Choosing Raw

2 large dates, pitted (about 1 1/2 ounces after pitting)

2 TBSP olive oil

2 TBSP stone ground mustard [see Note]

2 TBSP water

To assemble:

1 head romaine, washed and dried

1 TBSP capers

Preheat the oven to 425.

Cut the mushrooms into thirds (or quarters if very large), which should yield 1/2-inch-thick slices. 

In a chopper or food processor, grind the almonds, walnuts, salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, and garlic powder into a coarse meal. Transfer nut mixture to a pie plate. In a medium bowl, whisk together the chickpea flour, cornmeal, and 5 TBSP water.

Dip the mushroom slices into the chickpea batter, shake off excess, and press into the nut mixture on both sides. Bake for 12-15 minutes, turning over the mushrooms halfway through. 

While the mushrooms bake, blend together all the dressing ingredients until smooth. (This should not need any seasoning. Between the prepared mustard and the rest of the salad, the dressing can, and probably should, easily stand alone. But this may depend on the prepared mustard you use. If you must season, do so cautiously.) If the dressing is too thick, blend in more water.

Meanwhile, preheat a countertop electric grill, or a grill pan on the stove (in warm weather, naturally, you can grill outdoors).

After turning the mushrooms, your grill should be ready. Gather 12 large romaine leaves and grill them six at a time--two layers of three leaves--on the countertop grill (ours closes, which allows both layers to have contact with the hot grill; if yours does not, flip halfway through). Cook until lettuce is bright green and slightly wilted, a minute or two. Transfer to two large plates, sprinkle the capers over the lettuce, drizzle the dressing over the salads, and top each salad with half the mushrooms. (Note that you may not use all the dressing (yields 1/2 cup), but it's the smallest amount our immersion blender would process.)

[Note: To get the "hot" in the "Sweet-Hot Mustard Dressing," make sure you use a prepared mustard with very visible mustard seeds. We used Inglehoffer brand. If you use a milder mustard, we're sure the dressing will still be tasty, but it won't have the same punch.]

Party Animals No. 5: Post-Thanksgiving Party 2012

Thanksgiving for us has historically been packed with family. So every year, we throw a Post-Thanksgiving Party on the Friday evening following Thanksgiving wherein we blow off steam and swap leftovers with friends. To fill in the leftover gaps, we always make two soups, two loaves of crusty bread, and two other brunch-friendly pastry-type items designed to feed a crowd.

This year, we were so enamored with our Thanksgiving strudel--and admittedly, we had plenty of filling leftover (and leftovers is some of what this party's about, after all) after making the first--we decided to roll with that for the party, too. We made one spinach-sage, and the other mushroom-thyme.

Soups this year were both from Moosewood Daily Special: Spiced Mexican Squash Stew (pictured in the rear) and our personal new favorite comfort food, Egyptian Red Lentil Soup.

Party Animals No. 4: Thanksgiving 2012

Main Event: Creamy Spinach-Sage Studel. We wish we could share the recipe we used for this amazing cream sauce. It's brilliantly flavorful and doesn't weigh you down because it's thickened (and further flavored) with sauteed vegetables in addition to the nut base. As if all that weren't enough, it's heavy on whole foods, with only a tiny bit of added oil. It was a recipe we got from being a Compassionate Cook member, so we can't post it here. But if you already have a favorite cashew cream sauce, you're not far from throwing together this pretty main dish. Puree your cream sauce with a buncha sage, stir in about 12 oz sauteed spinach, and wrap it up in puff pastry.

This could easily be called Main Event, Part 2. When we first started hosting our (small) family's Thanksgiving a few years ago, we decided to go with a cornbread-fig recipe from Food Network chef Tyler Florence. It was a decisive hit, and instantly became one of the non-negotiable items on the Thanksgiving table, which means we eventually had to adapt it for our vegan holiday. (The tamari kinda makes the whole thing uglier than homemade sin, but since we're hungry vegans and not shooting a Saveur cover, we don't let it bother us.)

Cornbread-Spiced Walnut-Fig Dressing

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2 TBSP oil

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

8 oz walnuts, finely chopped/coarsely ground

1 tsp fennel seed (optional)

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp onion powder

2 TBSP low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce)

1 cornbread loaf (8-inch round), crumbled

2/3-3/4 cup rehydrated figs, roughly chopped

salt and pepper

1 TBSP ground flax + 3 TBSP water (flax egg)

2 TBSP hemp seeds + 4 TBSP water + 2 TBSP oil

1/2-1 cup vegetable stock

Preheat the oven to 350.

Heat the 2 TBSP of oil over medium heat. Saute the onion and rosemary for 5 minutes, then add the walnuts, spices, and tamari. Cook an additional 5-7 minutes, until the onion is cooked and the walnuts and spices are very fragrant.

Transfer the walnut mixture to a mixing bowl and add the cornbread and figs, then season generously with salt and pepper.

With an immersion blender, combine the flax egg, hemp seeds, water, and oil. (Feel free to replace the hemp seeds and water with 1/3 cup of any nondairy milk you have on hand. Though hemp does create a particularly creamy result--due in part to the fact that the seeds blend well enough that you don't need to strain it, which adds richness--it's not necessary to buy them just for this purpose). Blend until very creamy. Whisk in 1/2 cup of vegetable stock and add to the cornbread-walnut mixture.

Stir, add more stock if it seems dry (you should have something like a very moist dough). Transfer the mixture to a 8x8 or 9x9 baking dish and bake at 350 for 45 min-1 hr.

One of the few times in a year we break out the nondairy butter (margarine). Worth it.

Biscuits

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scant cup (15 TBSP) unsweetened nondairy milk (we used our homemade almond milk)

2 TBSP + 1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1/4 cup + 2 TBSP nondairy butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp corn starch

3/4 tsp salt

Whisk together the milk and all of the apple cider vinegar. Set aside in the refrigerator or freezer.

Measure out your 1/4 cup of nondairy butter, chopping it into pieces as best you can and set it in the refrigerator.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, corn starch, and salt. Using your hands, quickly rub the cold butter into the flour until you have a mixture made up of mostly pea-sized globs of flour-covered butter. Make a well in the center and pour in the cold milk mixture. Stir until just combined (the dough will be very sticky).

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface, dust the top with flour, and gently fold the dough over itself half a dozen times. Pat out into a 1-inch-thick round. Cut out biscuits (we use a glass with about a three-inch opening at the top--smaller than a pint glass, bigger than a Collins) and transfer to a baking sheet, placing them so that they just touch. Continue to work the scrap dough, though as little as possible to preserve tenderness, until it's all used.

Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes, until golden. (Optionally, crack some fresh black pepper over the tops of the biscuits just before placing them in the oven.) While the biscuits bake, melt the remaining 2 TBSP of nondairy butter. Spoon/brush the melted butter over the hot biscuits and serve.

Herb Scalloped Potatoes from Veganomicon. Another non-negotiable menu item for our Thanksgivings. We like to use tiny or fingerling potatoes to maximize the surface area on which the seasoning mix has to settle. It makes for a longer chopping session (and, admittedly, makes a kinda fussy recipe even fussier), but the final result is a total win.

Confession time: we never eat the Cranberry Relish, but we have family members that would have our heads if it ever disappeared. Plus, it's too easy to have any good reason not to make it. So we continue to make Wolfgang Puck's recipe, using lemon juice.

Roasted Apples with a Balsamic Reduction

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4 apples (we had Honeycrisps), cored and sliced

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 TBSP natural cane sugar

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 425.

Toss the apples with the sugar and lemon juice and bake for about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring the vinegar to a boil in a small pot. Reduce head and simmer gently until thickened into a syrup, about 20 minutes.

Drizzle the syrup over the apples and serve. (If the reduction hardens, set over low heat and it will soften again.)

Chocolate Swirled Pumpkin Pie: This comes from The Joy of Vegan Baking, but we added the swirl and made our crust with Mi-Del brand Ginger Snaps. To make the swirled version: Once your pie is prepped, melt 3 oz of chocolate (or less, if you want to have some bites without chocolate), pour over the top of the pumpkin in a spiral, and swirl the two together with a chopstick. Bake as directed.

For the chocolate, we used Equal Exchange Organic Very Dark Chocolate (71% Cacao) because it's really tasty, the co-op carries it, and it made the Food Empowerment Project's list.

Our other dessert this year was a family request (we love those!):

Banana Pudding

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2 cans coconut milk (we used Thai Kitchen brand)

1/3 cup natural cane sugar

1/3 cup corn starch

1/4 tsp salt

1 TBSP vanilla extract

22 Mi-Del brand Vanilla Snaps

2 bananas

Preheat oven to 350.

Whisk together the milk, sugar, corn starch, and vanilla in a medium sauce pan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly to prevent sticking on the bottom, until thickened and beginning to simmer, about 7-10 minutes.

Set aside 6 Vanilla Snaps and smash them into crumbs.

To assemble, place 8 cookies in the bottom of a loaf pan, slice one of the bananas on top of them, pour in half of the pudding, and repeat, ending with the other half of the pudding (note that you may have a bit of pudding that you can't fit in). Sprinkle the reserved cookie crumbs over the top and bake until warm and bubbly, about 15 minutes.

Serve warm, or, if you're like us, make your Thanksgiving desserts the night before and remove from the fridge a couple of hours before serving.

Peanut Soba Noodles with Kimchi (with a bonus kimchi recipe)

If your kitchen is anything like our kitchen right now, it's not too fancy in there. We're knee-deep in Thanksgiving planning and saving every ounce of our chopping and cleaning enthusiasm for the holiday. That's where meals like this come in. Comforting, colorful, made entirely of ingredients that keep in the fridge and pantry for weeks or even months, and the best part? Not a dirty knife in sight.

Peanut Soba Noodles with Kimchi

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1 tsp sesame oil

1 tsp rice vinegar

1 tsp low-sodum tamari

1 generous tsp peanut butter (we like crunchy, but creamy is great, too)

ground cayenne, to taste

1 bundle (100 g) soba noodles

1 cup frozen peas

1/4-1/3 cup kimchi, homemade or store bought [see Note]

Fill a large sauce pan half full of water and set on high heat.

Meanwhile, whisk together the sesame oil, vinegar, tamari, and peanut butter, and a few dashes of cayenne.

When the water has reached a boil, add the soba noodles and cook at a rolling boil. After 4 minutes, add the frozen peas to the pot and allow to cook for 1 more minute. Drain the noodles and peas and run cold water over them until they're no longer warm.

Toss the noodles and peas with the peanut sauce, top with kimchi, and serve.

Makes 1 large or 2 small servings.

Note: The kimchi sold in the refrigerated section of the co-op is vegan, so go nuts. Pictured above is a homemade kimchi made from butternut squash, which we're currently in love with. Frankly, winter squash is sometimes too sweet to our savory-leaning tongues. To combat this, we've relied heavily on garlic, herbs, and vinegar, frequently pairing starchy orange flesh with things like pickled jalapenos and sauerkraut. But it never occurred to us to pickle the squash itself, until now. We took this simple recipe and made it even simpler, and adjusted the method just a bit to produce something closer to the texture we prefer for this. 

Butternut Squash Kimchi

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adapted from Lauryn Chun via L.A. Mag

1 (about 1 1/4-lb total weight) butternut squash, peeled

4 cups water

2 TBSP kosher salt, plus an additional 1/4 tsp

2 TBSP Korean chili flakes (we've gotten ours at Oriental Super Mart on Sutherland)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 1-inch knob fresh ginger, minced

1 1-inch knob fresh turmeric, minced (if you do this in the fall when the co-op gets fresh turmeric; if not, try 1/2 tsp ground turmeric, or simply omit)

1/2 cup water

1 tsp cane sugar

Using a vegetable peeler, shave long ribbons of the peeled squash until you near the seedy center. Mix the squash ribbons with the 4 cups of water and 2 TBSP salt in a large bowl and let sit for 40 minutes. Drain and dry with a clean kitchen towel.

When the squash has dried a bit, toss it with the chili flakes, minced garlic, ginger, and turmeric.

In a quart jar, mix the 1/2 cup water, 1/4 tsp salt, and sugar, until dissolved. Add the spiced sqush ribbons to the jar, secure the lid, and turn it up and down a few times to coat with the sugar water.

Let sit at room temperature for 3 days; after that, store in the refrigerator.

Party Animals No. 3: Eggplant Confit Banh Mi for a casual grill-out

This sandwich was inspired by/adapted from Tartine Bread. (One day, we hope someone will be genius enough to publish an anniversary edition of The Joy of Vegan Baking on matte stock. It would be one of the greatest pieces of advocacy ever.) Beautiful book, yes. Vegan, not even close. So after a little work and playing with scale to make this recipe make more sense for a home kitchen, we found total success: Rich eggplant confit and zesty marinated veggies drizzled with a chile-lime sea sauce, all topped with a creamy herb sauce.

Though it looks like a long recipe, don't worry: both sauces are a snap to throw together while the veggies marinate, and the eggplant confit can be made days in advance. Even the sandwich itself can be assembled more than an hour before baking or grilling. Letting the sauces soak into the bread a little doesn't hurt one bit. Which means it travels like a champ.

Note that we did end up making this for the event with the traditional baguette, which is pretty hard to beat. But sometimes a crusty ciabatta (that version pictured above) is in order. Our solution? Make this sandwich early and often, with any bread you're currently craving.

Eggplant Confit Banh Mi

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1 baguette or ciabatta loaf (we have a very strong preference for Flour Head Bakery), cut in half lengthwise

1 batch herb legumaise, recipe follows

1 batch marinated shredded vegetables, recipe follows

1 batch chile-lime sea sauce, recipe folows

half recipe eggplant confit, sliced into long, 1/4-inch thick slices

To assemble: Spread the herb legumaise on the cut side of the top half of your loaf and set aside. Spread the marinated vegetables over the bottom half of your loaf. Drizzle the chile-lime sea sauce over the vegetables, then add the eggplant confit. Put the sandwich together. If grilling, wrap the sandwich in foil and grill for about 10 minutes, until warmed through. To bake, place the sandwich (no need to wrap it in foil) directly onto the middle rack of an oven preheated to 375 and bake for 7-10 minutes, until the sandwich is warm and the bread has crisped a bit. 

Herb Legumaise:

5 basil leaves

1/4 cup cilantro

1/4 cup cooked navy beans

2 TBSP olive oil

1 small clove of garlic

juice of half a lime

1/4 tsp salt

1/4-1/2 of 1 jalapeno (about 1/4 oz)

Add all ingredients to a jar and puree with an immersion blender.

Marinated Shredded Vegetables:

1 medium cucumber (5-6 oz total weight), peeled, trimmed, and shredded

1 small bell pepper (3-4 oz total weight), trimmed and cut into matchsticks

1 large or 2 small carrots (2-3 oz total weight), peeled, trimmed, and shredded

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup water

2 TBSP sugar

1/2 TBSP kosher/sea salt

Place the shredded vegetables in a large bowl. Whisk together the vinegar, water, sugar, and salt, and pour the mixture over the vegetables. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Chile-Lime Sea Sauce:

2 cloves garlic

juice of 1 1/2 limes

1/2 tsp oil

1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne powder

1 TBSP low-sodium tamari

1/2 tsp kelp granules

Place all ingredients into a jar and puree with an immersion blender.

Eggplant Confit

Rich, silky, and achingly tender, this decadent, slow-cooked eggplant confit goes to work anytime a dish calls for a rich, savory element. This idea came to us when we were adapting a sandwich recipe (recipe will appear soon), but we've already put it in two other dishes. And when we had one final chunk left with a nearly bare fridge, we found it made it a killer spread when pureed with spinach, white beans, and sun-dried tomatoes. Plus, it's dead simple. Talk about an ace up your sleeve.

Eggplant Confit

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1 large eggplant, or several small (1 lb total weight), trimmed, the skin pierced several times all over the surface, and halved lengthwise

1 cup olive oil

1 large (or 2 small) umeboshi, pitted and minced (this should yield about 1 tsp of minced flesh)

1 tsp liquid smoke

Pour the olive oil into a slower cooker and whisk in the umeboshi and liquid smoke. Add the eggplant, cut sides down, in a single layer (a little bit of overlap is okay, but you want to maximize the eggplant flesh's exposure to the oil).

Cover. Cook on low for 4 hours. Reserve unabsorbed oil for other savory applications.

Party Animals No. 2: Gochujang Spring Rolls and Sweet Potato Pie with a Brandied Date Swirl for a Potluck with Pals

Gochujang Spring Rolls

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1 cup water

1/2 cup dry brown rice

1 TBSP oil of choice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small head purple cabbage, shredded

1 lb carrots

double recipe  [see note] gochujang sauce, recipe follows

9 8-inch dried rice paper sheets

Bring the cup of water to a boil over high heat, add the brown rice and cover. Return to a boil, reduce heat to low and let cook 25-30 minutes.

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and saute the garlic for about 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the shredded cabbage, stirring to coat the cabbage with the oil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and let cook while you peel and shred the carrots, 7-10 minutes. 

Once the carrots are shredded, put on a full kettle of water over medium heat. 

Add the shredded carrots to the cabbage, stir well, and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes. Cover the pot again, turn off the heat, and let sit while you whisk together all of the gojuchang sauce ingredients. When the rice has finished cooking, add it to the vegetables.

Stir the sauce into the vegetable mixture. When the water in the kettle is hot, but still cool enough to comfortably put your hands in, transfer the water to a large bowl.

To assemble, take one sheet of rice paper and dip it into the hot water, rotating to wet the circumference until the sheet is flexible enough to submerge completely, then hold under until very soft, transparent, and pliable. (Each sheet will take about twenty seconds to soften, beginning to end.) Transfer to a cutting board and cut the circle in half with a pizza cutter. Place 3-4 TBSP of the filling along the flat, cut edge of the paper. fold in the sides and roll up. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling. 

yield: 18 spring rolls

Single recipe gochujang sauce (taken years ago from Closet Cooking) :

[Note: If making this recipe for ourselves to eat at home, we'd probably go with a lighter, subtler version and use only a single batch of the gochujang sauce, which, like any other incredibly wonderful condiment, isn't exactly health food. But when entertaining, feel free to splurge on the double batch of sauce. It's good stuff.]

1 TBSP gochujang (this paste is available, if nowhere else, at Oriental Super Mart on Sutherland)

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1 tsp turbinado/brown sugar

1 tsp sesame seeds (optionally toasted)

1 tsp low-sodium tamari (or soy sauce) 

1 tsp sesame oil

Sweet Potato Pie with a Brandied Date Swirl

This pie is simply Colleen Patrick-Goudreau's (totally great, definitely getting made this Thanksgiving with a chocolate swirl) pumpkin pie recipe from The Joy of Vegan Baking, substituting mashed sweet potatoes for the pumpkin puree.

For the brandied date swirl: 

10 dates, pitted

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

2 TBSP brandy

1 TBSP orange juice (optional) 

about 1/2 cup water, for blending

Simmer the dates in the 1/2 cup water for about 5 minutes, until the dates are very soft. Remove from heat and to the pot add the rest of the ingredients. Puree until smooth with an immersion blender (or transfer to a food processor/blender if necessary, but be careful of the hot ingredients). The result should be a loose paste that will not pour, something like a thick apple butter (add more water by the tablespoon if your paste is still too thick and sticky).

Fill a prepared pie crust with the sweet potato filling. Spoon the brandied date paste in a large spiral on top of the unbaked sweet potato pie and use a chopstick to swirl the two fillings together. Bake as directed. Serve warm or at room temperature.