Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

I posted this one 5 years ago, but this is the gluten-free version that we're using these days at the Today Tomorrow household, still based on the recipe from Peta's The Compassionate Cook vegan cookbook.

Ingredients:

2 bunches (or about 2 lbs.) broccoli

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

2 cloves garlic, peeled

4 c. vegetable broth

1.5 t. salt (or to taste)

1/3 c. unsweetened plant-based milk, or enough to achieve desired texture

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

smoked paprika, to taste

Method:

On each broccoli stalk, cut off about 1/2-inch from the bottom and discard.  Cut away the florets, and reserve to the side.  Cut away the woody, tough exterior from the stalk, and cut the stalk interior into pieces.

Place the broccoli florets, broccoli stalk interior pieces, onion, garlic cloves, vegetable broth, and salt into a stockpot.  Bring the broth to a boil, cover the pot, and reduce heat to medium.  Boil until the vegetables are soft, about 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Using an immersion blender, purée the vegetables and plant-based milk together.  (Alternatively, you can move the ingredients to a regular blender in batches and purée.  It's messier, but it works.)  If needed to achieve desired texture, add more milk.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, and ladle into soup bowls.  Sprinkle each bowl with smoked paprika.

Serves 4 - 5.

Hearty Irish Lager Stew

Here's an Irish recipe vegetarians can enjoy on St. Patrick's Day next week, courtesy of Vegetarian Times.  I made this for the holiday last year, and it was a hit!

Ingredients:

• 1 T. vegetable oil, divided
• 8 oz. button or shiitake mushrooms, halved
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 t.)
• 1 c. diced onion
• 3 small red potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes (1 ½ cups)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
• 2 small parsnips, peeled and sliced
• 1 ½ t. tomato paste
• 1 15-oz. can crushed tomatoes
• 1 ½ c. vegetable broth
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme, tied in bundle, plus 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme, divided
• ½ cup lager beer
• 1 ½ T. all-purpose flour
• 1 cup shredded cabbage
• 2 Tbs. chopped parsley

Method:
1. Heat 1/2 T. oil in large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; sauté 8 minutes, or until mushrooms are browned. Remove from pan. Add remaining 1/2 T. oil to pot. Add onion, and cook 5 minutes or until translucent. Add potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and tomato paste. Cook 2 minutes. Add tomatoes, broth, and thyme sprigs; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer 40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Add lager, flour, and mushrooms. Simmer 10 to 15 minutes, or until thickened, stirring often. Remove thyme sprigs, stir in cabbage, and simmer 4 to 5 minutes, or until cabbage softens. Stir in chopped thyme and parsley, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. 

Serves 6.

Beet Risotto with Greens

This exquisite dish is from Deborah Madison's cookbook Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.  Her description of the "jewel-toned" dish intrigued me, and I'm kind of a sucker for beets anyway, so I had to try it.  Scott, on the other hand, is a hard sell on beets, but even he liked this unusual and lovely dish.  The color is brilliant!

Ingredients:

5.5 - 6.5 c. vegetable stock or bouillon

3 T. butter or a mixture of butter and olive oil (I always use vegan margarine in place of butter.)

1/2 c. finely diced onion

1.5 c. Arborio rice (It's important to use this type of rice, which gives risotto its creamy texture.)

1/2 c. dry white wine

2 T. chopped parsley

2 T. chopped basil or 1 T. dried basil

2 - 3 medium beets, peeled and grated, about 2 cups

2 - 3 c. greens (beet greens, chard, kale, spinach, or collards - stems removed, finely chopped)

salt and freshly ground pepper

grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

Method:

Have the stock simmering on the stove.  Heat the butter in a wide, deep pot, add the onion, and cook over medium heat for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add the rice, stir to coat it well, and cook for 1 minute.  Add the wine and simmer until it's absorbed, then stir in half of the parsley and all of the basil, the grated beets, and the chard, kale, or collard greens (if using...if using beet greens or spinach, wait).  Add 2 c. stock, cover, and cook at a lively simmer until the stock is absorbed.  Begin adding the remaining stock in 1/2-cup increments, stirring constantly until each addition is absorbed before adding the next.  When there is 1 c. of stock left, add the beet greens or spinach, if using.  Taste for salt (I'm generous with this maligned seasoning.), season with pepper, then stir in the lemon zest and juice to taste.  Serve with the remaining parsley.

Mexican Slaw

I'm excited to share this utterly simple, utterly healthy, utterly delish side dish recipe with you from Rick Bayless's Authentic Mexican cookbook.  This goes perfectly with oven-baked burritos, but I know you'll find many other perfect combinations for it, too. 

Ingredients:

1/2 small head cabbage (about 10 ounces)

2 thin slices of onion, broken into rings

3 T. cider vinegar

2 T. canola oil

1/2 t. salt

Method:

Core the cabbage and slice it very thinly.  Place it in a bowl with the onion.

Mix the vinegar, oil, and salt, then toss with the cabbage and onions.

Voila!  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Serves 4 - 6.

Spicy Green Tomato Salad

Looking for something to do with those green garden tomatoes until they turn red?  Me, too!  Enter Food Network Magazine with this fantastic recipe.  It allowed me to use some green tomatoes and a garden jalepeno.  Tell me what you think!

Ingredients:

1.5 lbs. green (unripe - not the kind that are SUPPOSED to be green) tomatoes, cut into thin wedges

1.5 t. salt, separated

juice of 1 lime

1 t. dijon mustard

1 T. honey (local honey is best)

1 small jalepeno pepper, deseeded and minced

1 T. fresh thyme (or 1 t. dried thyme)

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil

2 avocados

2 c. chopped lettuce leaves (or more, to taste)

Method:

Put the tomato wedges in a bowl and sprinkle with 1 t. salt.  Let set 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk the lime juice, mustard, honey, jalepeno, thyme, 1/2 t. salt, and pepper, to taste, in a large bowl.  Gradually pour in the olive oil, whisking constantly until emulsified.

When ready to serve, half the avocados, remove the pits, peel, and thinly slice.  Add to the bowl with the dressing, then add the lettuce and tomatoes.  Gently toss to coat.  Season with additional salt and pepper, if desired, and serve immediately.

Serves 6 - 8.

Lemony Asparagus Double-Cous

I used a recipe from Donna Klein's cookbook The Mediterranean Vegan Kitchen as the springboard for this one.  It turned out tasty, light, and perfect for spring.  I served it with steamed carrot coins and was really satisfied with the combination.  See what you think!



Ingredients:

1 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 bunch asparagus, washed and woody ends removed

2 c. vegetable broth

chopped zest of one large lemon

juice of one large lemon

1 15-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

1 1/2 c. instant couscous

Method:

Chop the asparagus into 1-inch pieces.

In a large skillet that has a well-fitting lid, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Add the chopped onion and sauté 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the chopped asparagus and continue to sauté until the onion is transparent and the asparagus is tender-crisp (or to the texture you like).

Add the broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, chickpeas, salt (I usually start at 1 t. salt.  If your end result is on the bland side, you haven't used enough salt.), and pepper.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Stir in the couscous, cover, and remove from heat.  Let stand until all the liquids are absorbed, about 7 minutes.

Uncover and fluff the couscous with a fork.  (Do not do a spotty job with the fluffing, because it will not easily fluff later, and you'll have clumpy couscous.)  Serve warm or at room temperature (or, heck, even cold if you like!).  Serves 4 as a main dish.

Lemony Greek Potatoes

Eeeeeee!  Last night I made a new recipe from The Food Network magazine, and it was so fantastic!  It's a great end-of-winter dish, and finally something new with potatoes.  Note that the vinaigrette that the potatoes are tossed in is so yummy I would be perfectly happy using it as dressing for a green salad.  Make it and see what you think!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

3 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 small shallot, quartered (use regular onion of the same size in a pinch)

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only

1/4 c. fresh parsley leaves, plus 1 T. chopped fresh parsley for serving

salt and freshly-ground black pepper

3 lbs. large russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into wedges

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degress F.

Put the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, oregano, and 1/4 c. fresh parsley into a food processor.  Add a rounded 1/2 t. salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.  Purée until mostly smooth.

Toss the potatoes with 1/2 c. of the prepared vinaigrette in a large bowl until wedges are coated.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Reserve the remaining vinaigrette.

Roast the potatoes until tender and golden, turning occasionally, 45 - 60 minutes.

Transfer the potatoes to a platter and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.  Season with salt and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Serves 6.

Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins

Yesterday I set out to make some muffins for breakfast, and I thought I'd make the cranberry pumpkin muffins I previously posted (recipe here).  However, when I started getting out all the ingredients and getting everything ready, I just felt like it was too heavy, too autumn if you will.  I was feeling more spring.  My eyes noticed the poppy seeds in my spice cabinet, and the thought of lemon poppy seed muffins really fit the bill:  I had a fridge full of lemons, my muffin papers are the colors of easter eggs, and the flavor had a spring-like profile.  Done!

This recipe is based on the one in the quintessential cookbook Joy of Cooking by Irma Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, and Ethan Becker.  They were totally delicious.

Ingredients:

2 c. all-purpose flour

1 T. baking powder (try to find aluminum-free baking powder)

1/2 t. salt

1/3 c. granulated sugar

1.5 T. poppy seeds

2 large eggs (vegans could use Ener-G Egg Replacer), lightly beaten

1 c. plant-based milk

1/3 c. brown sugar, packed

1/4 c. plus 3 T. canola oil

1 t. almond extract

juice of 1/2 lemon

1 T. grated lemon zest

Method:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Either grease a 12-cup muffin tin or line the tins with muffin papers.

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, salt, granulated sugar, and poppy seeds.

In another medium bowl, mix the eggs (or Egg Replacer), plant-based milk, brown sugar, canola oil, almond extract, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients.  Stir until JUST MIXED, keeping the stirring to a minimum.  Too much mixing will make the muffins heavy, so the batter will be (and should be) lumpy.

Divide the batter evenly among the 12 muffin cups.  Bake about 20 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Cornmeal-Carrot Skillet Cakes

MMmmmmm!  We had Cornmeal-Carrot Skillet Cakes (recipe here) this week with mixed greens and chili sauced beans.  SO YUM!!!

Happy Groundhog Day!  We welcome Phil's prediction of an early spring!!!

Spring Rolls!

Ever since Scott made a layer cake at Christmas, he's been on a cooking kick. The sweet joy of success is eating your own creation! I have to give him credit for taking on the task of finding ingredients for and making such a foreign food, which we fell in love with at a local Vietnamese restaurant. With the aid of the classic cookbook Joy of Cooking, he recreated our beloved dish perfectly at home!

First make the peanut dipping sauce, which we mixed with store-bought chili garlic sauce. I could eat this with a spoon!

Ingredients:
2 t. canola oil
4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
1 t. peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 t. crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 c. water
2 T. soy sauce (or tamari or shoyu)
2 T. fresh lime juice
2/3 c. chunky peanut butter
1 T. brown sugar, or to taste

Method:
Heat the canola oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until golden brown (about 1 minute). Add the water, soy sauce, lime juice, peanut butter, and brown sugar. Cook, stirring, until thickened (about 4 minutes).
Serve warm or at room temperature. This sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

Now make the rolls:

Ingredients:
4 large red-leaf lettuce leaves, washed, large stems removed, leaves torn into large pieces
1 large carrot, peeled and shredded
1 c. bean sprouts, rinsed
1/2 c. cilantro leaves, minced
8 scallions, washed and chopped, white and green parts
2.5 oz. vermicelli noodles, broken in half (or use cellophane noodles or rice stick noodles)
3 T. canola oil
1 lb. firm Chinese-style tofu, water squeezed out, cut into 1/2-inch chunks  (I like to freeze my tofu for 24 hours, then thaw it.  It improves the texture.)
8 12-inch round sheets of rice paper (This stuff is edible, even though it does not appear to be when first taken from the package.)

Method:
First make sure all your vegetables are prepared and ready to go.  Put a large saucepan over high heat and bring 4 c. water to boil.  Cook the noodles until just firm to the bite.  Drain and rinse under cold water.

In the meantime, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet.  Add the tofu to the hot oil and brown on 2 sides of each chunk.  Remove from heat.

Lay a damp kitchen towel on the counter.  Have a large bowl of hot water (115 - 120 degrees F).  Dip 1 sheet of rice paper into the water, completely submerging it, and quickly remove it to lay flat on the damp towel.  Slightly lower then center and leaving about 1 inch on the right and left, put a horizontal line of lettuce, then noodles, then bean sprouts, then tofu, then cilantro, then scallions, then carrots (about 1/8 of each ingredient).  Fold the right and left sides in and overlapping the filling by about an inch so that the paper sticks to itself above and below the filling.  Bring up the bottom edge of the paper to cover the filling and stick to the rice paper at the top of the filling.  Now roll tightly into a neat cylinder.

If the rice paper starts to tear, overlap it with another sheet of paper (prepped in the hot water, as usual), using 2 sheets for one roll.

Cut each roll on the diagonal with a sharp knife and serve immediately as the rice paper will toughen with time.  Serve with peanut dipping sauce and, if you want, some chili garlic sauce.  Makes 8 delicious servings.

Tortellini Soup Verdura

This soup is from Food Network magazine and can be made lacto-vegetarian or vegan. I highly recommend the vegan version, because the soup has a very clean look and feel that I think dairy kind of corrupts. BUT, you're the one eating it, so you decide!

 

 

Ingredients:

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small onion, diced

3 medium carrots, peeled, halved lengthwise, and sliced

3 stalks celery, sliced

1 t. chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 t. dried thyme)

2 c. vegetable broth

1 9-oz pkg of vegetarian or vegan (like tofu or mushroom) tortellini or ravioli (You could also just use some sort of small, chunky pasta, but it won't be as "special.")

5 c. fresh baby spinach, washed and roughly chopped

salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Method:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and 3 cups water, and increase heat to high. Cover, and bring to a boil, then add tortellini or ravioli. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until pasta is tender. (See pkg label for approximate cooking time.)

Add the spinach to the soup and cook, stirring, until wilted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  I use plenty of both!

Serves 4.

NOTE: To made the soup a little heartier, you can add 1 15-oz. can of white beans, Great Northern beans, or navy beans, rinsed and drained.

Roasted Carrots

While this recipe from Dash magazine looks too simple to be very exciting, this is a case where looks are deceiving.  Even if you are just so-so on carrots, give this recipe a chance.  Carrots don't usually make me feel much one way or the other, but Scott and I were scrapping for the last of this bunch!

Ingredients:

2 lbs. carrots, peeled, ends trimmed, and halved lengthwise (Believe me:  You want to make the whole 2 lbs.  I made just over 1 lb., and I was sorry!)

3 T. extra-virgin olive oil

1 t. salt

1/4 t. freshly-ground black pepper

Method:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.  In a shallow baking dish, toss the carrots in the olive oil, salt, and pepper so that the carrots are coated.  Roast the carrots at 450 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to 325 degrees F, and carefully toss the carrots in the oil again.  Continue to cook at 325 degrees F until carrots are soft and browned.  Voila!

Spinach and Potato Soup

Remember when I said I was trying to incorporate more sweet potatoes into my diet?  Well, ditto for leafy greens.  This recipe has both, and I am able to take credit for this one myself.  It's been a fairly warm spring in Memphis, but we had a cold snap last night.  Soup was a warm and comforting supper, and this recipe is super easy!

Ingredients:
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, peeled and chopped
3 large cloves garlic, minced
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large baking potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
water or vegetable broth (I used water plus some leek broth I had in the freezer.)
salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste
1 12-oz. package frozen crowder peas
1 can diced tomatoes (with juice)
1 12-oz. package chopped frozen spinach


Method:
In a stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onion until transluscent.  Add the garlic, and sauté a minute more.  Add the diced potatoes plus water/broth to cover.  Add 1 t. salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.


Raise heat to high and bring the water/broth to a boil. Add the frozen crowder peas plus additional salt, if desired (I used anotehr 1/2 t. and honestly could have used a little more.), and return to a boil. When the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the crowder peas have a proper cooked texture when bitten, add the can of diced tomatoes with juice and the frozen chopped spinach.  Add more water/broth, if necessary.  (The soup will be very spinach-y.)  Bring the soup briefly back to a boil to ensure all soup (including frozen spinach) is thawed and warm.  Adjust salt/pepper to taste, and serve warm with crackers, cornbread, or some other tasty bread.

Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup

Here's another fantastic recipe from Peta's The Compassionate Cook vegan cookbook.  I've modified it only slightly.  Serve this with toasted garlic bread for a light, delicious dinner.

Ingredients:

1 bunch (or about 1 lb.) broccoli

1 medium onion, peeled and quartered

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 c. vegetable broth

1/4 c. all-purpose flour

1 t. salt

2 c. plant-based milk

freshly ground black pepper and/or cayenne pepper, to taste

Method:

On each broccoli stalk, cut off about 1/2-inch from the bottom and discard.  Cut away the florets, and reserve to the side.  Cut away the woody, tough exterior from the stalk, and cut the stalk interior into pieces.

Place the broccoli florets and stalk interor pieces, onion quarters, garlic clove, and vegetable broth into a large saucepan.  Bring the broth to a boil, cover the saucepan, and reduce heat to medium.  Boil until the vegetables are soft, about 10 - 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Add the flour and salt to the pan.  Using an immersion blender, purée the vegetables and flour together.  (Alternatively, you can move the ingredients to a regular blender and purée.  It's just a little messier.  Once puréed, move the ingredients back to the pan.)

Stir in the plant-based milk and heat through.  Add salt and pepper to taste, and ladle into soup bowls.

Potato-Leek Soup

A couple of nights ago I made a version of potato-leek soup adapted from Barbara Kafka and Christopher Styler's cookbook Vegetable Love.  I didn't expect much from it.  The recipe is simple, and I was really just trying to use some leeks I had in the fridge before they went bad.  But wow!  It turned out great!  Vegans, I'm sorry to say that, surprisingly, the cream made a fair difference, but you can certainly make this without it.

I didn't photograph it, because puréed potatoes don't make much of a photograph, but it was still quite delicious.  I served it with bruschetta (recipe and photo here), because we are still getting fresh tomatoes from the garden.  Here it is:

Ingredients:

1 lb. white potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces

2 leeks

3 c. water

1 pkg low-sodium miso soup mix (to prepare 8 oz. miso soup...I used Edward & Sons Miso-Cup brand.)

2 T. organic heavy cream (optional - As many of you know, I prefer Organic Valley brand.)

salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Remove the green leafy end and 1 inch of the root-end of each leek, and compost the removed parts.  For the remaining leek stalks, cut them into ½-inch sections crosswise.  Wash them in a basin of water to remove any grit.

In a large saucepan, add the potatoes, leeks, water, and the miso soup mix.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer.  Simmer, covered, 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.

Working in batches of approximately 2 cups each, purée the prepared potato mixture in a blender.  Salt and pepper to taste.  (I used approximately 1 tsp. salt.)  Add the organic heavy cream, if using, and serve warm.

Spring's A-Coming Pasta

I made a delicious pasta dish last night, right off the cuff. All I knew was that we were going to have pasta and that we were in the mood to eat some REAL vegetables. Like, from the produce department, not from a can or frozen or from a jar or what-have-you. Now, the ingredients may sound kind of run-of-the-mill, but the end result tasted really great. I'm going to tell you how I did it, but you can do it your own way. Want to see fresh peas or asparagus in the veggie mix? Wish there were more carrots and less broccoli? Go for it!

about 1.5 oz. sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/4 c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow or white onion, cut into narrow wedges
2 carrots, peeled and julienned
1/2 lb. broccoli florets, broken into smaller florets if they are large
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 t. salt
lots of freshly ground pepper
2 T. pesto (or if you have some fresh basil from last season that you've processed with olive oil and frozen, that's perfect, too...The pesto will determine if this dish is vegan or vegetarian, so pay attention to the pesto ingredients.)
1 small tomato, cut into narrow wedges
12 oz. fettucine (I used fettucine, because that's what I had on hand, but I think a short, chunky pasta like penne or farfalle or rotini might have been even more appropriate, based on the size and shape of the vegetables.)

Start a large pot of salted water to boil on the stovetop. When the water comes to a rolling boil, cook the pasta according to package directions.
Cover the sun-dried tomatoes with boiling water in a small bowl to reconstitute them. Set aside.

In the meantime, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Bust the onion wedges into individual layer-pieces. Add the onion, carrots, and broccoli to the olive oil along with a generous grinding of black pepper. Sauté for 5 or 6 minutes, then add the chopped garlic and the salt. (I know. It's a lot of salt. What can I say?) You can add more ground pepper, too. I added it periodically, throughout the cooking process. Continue to sauté until the onions are transparent and the broccoli and carrots are tender-crisp. Test the texture of the veggies by biting a broccoli floret and a carrot piece to make sure it's the way you like it.

Once you've achieved the best veggie texture, stir in the pesto. Drain the sundried tomatoes (You can freeze the tomato water in ice cube trays and use it in a soup some other time.) and add them to the veggies. Also add the fresh tomatoes and, if you want, more pepper. Toss and continue cooking until the new ingredients are warmed through.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain it and toss it immediately with the vegetable mix. It serves about 4 people for a main dish. I served it with garlic toast, red wine, and cold green tea.

Roasted Cauliflower Pizza

I know this is a little unconventional, and I admit that I was skeptical when I first saw it. But it was so vegan and coming from a magazine and article that were not catering to vegetarians, much less vegans, so I figured it must be good. I mean, they expected regular omnivores to try it and like it. And it IS good! It’s good right out of the oven, but I thought it was even better after being in the fridge overnight. Your call.
The original recipe is from Country Living magazine.

4 cups finely chopped cauliflower florets (This is about one head, and the finely chopping of the head into florets is the most tedious part of the recipe.)
¼ c. extra-virgin olive oil
1 ½ t. salt
½ t. freshly ground black pepper
¼ c. bread crumbs
1 recipe vegan pizza dough, enough for one 14-inch or 15-inch round pizza (If you don’t have a recipe you like, I highly recommend the pizza crust alternative recipe in Fields of Greens by Annie Somerville. I omit the rye flour from her recipe.)

Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Roast the cauliflower mixture in a baking pan in a 400-degree oven until tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the cauliflower from the oven, and increase the oven temperature to 500 degrees.
Using a rolling pin, roll out the pizza dough on a lightly floured surface to a 14- or 15-inch circle. Transfer the rolled dough to a pizza pan. Top the dough with the roasted cauliflower, then sprinkle the breadcrumbs over the cauliflower. Bake the pizza until the dough is golden and crispy, about 12 – 15 minutes. The tips of the cauliflower will brown.

Roasted Asparagus

Seems obvious and simple, right? I agree! But sometimes we need someone to remind us how lovely the simple things in life can be. ... This recipe is from "The Commercial Appeal" (daily newspaper in Memphis). As you can see, it is so simple, there is nothing to modify!

1 lb. fresh asparagus
1 1/2 T. olive oil (I prefer extra-virgin olive oil. The really fruity kind.)
1/2 t. sea salt (Yes, any old salt will do.)

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Wash asparagus and break off the tough (non-bud) ends. (The trick here is that the asparagus spear will do the work for you. Bend it, and it will pretty much break in the right spot for you.)

Put the oil in a 7 x 10-inch pain (or one close to that size). Put the asparagus in a single layer in the pan and sprinkle with salt. Shake the pan around to coat the asparagus.

Put the pan in the preheated oven, and cook for 15 - 20 minutes. Check asparagus every 5-ish minutes and shake the pan to recoat everything. When the spears are done, you should be able to bite through without it being stringy. Start checking at 15 minutes.