The Best-Ever Vegan Chocolate Sorbet

I previously published the following recipe about 8 years ago, and it still is really too good to be true...dangerously delicious. I make it every summer!

I got the original recipe from Southern Living magazine, and I've been making it so long I don't even know or remember if I do anything differently than they suggested.  I can't find it online anymore, so maybe they didn't love it as much as I do.

 

Ingredients:

5 c. water
2 ¼ c. sugar
1 c. cocoa
1 bag vegan chocolate chips

1. Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a stockpot. Boil, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved (about 1 minute). Whisk in cocoa until blended (no lumps). Reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually add the chocolate chips, whisking until smooth after each addition. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour.
2. Pour the chocolate mixture into a freezer-safe container (like popsicle molds!).
3. Move the ice cream to your kitchen freezer, and let it “cure” in the freezer for 24 hours.

Lettuce Tofu Wraps

This delicious recipe is slightly modified from Eating Well magazine's website.  It's a great meal with a side of fries when you're looking for something easy, fun, and delish.

Ingredients:
1/2 c. smooth natural peanut butter
1/4 c. soy sauce, tamari, or shoyu (If you need the dish to be gluten-free, check the ingredients.  Not all of these are gluten-free.), plus more for the tofu, to taste
1 T. rice vinegar
1 t. minced garlic
1/4 t. crushed red pepper
1 lb. Chinese tofu (Tofu's texture is greatly improved if it has been frozen for 24 hours and then thawed prior to use.  Plan ahead.)
2 T. canola oil
1 c. julienned Asian pear
1 c. julienned cucumber
8 large lettuce leaves, washed and dried

Method:
Whisk the peanut butter, 1/4 c. soy sauce (or tamari or shoyu), rice vinegar, garlic, and red pepper together for the sauce.  Add a tablespoon or two of water to thin the sauce to the desired texture.

Squeeze as much water from the tofu as possible, then cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.  In a large, non-stick skillet, cook the tofu over medium-high heat until water is no longer sizzling out of the tofu.  Drizzle the tofu with soy sauce (or tamari or shoyu), to taste, then drizzle with the canola oil.  Toss the tofu to coat with the oil.  Cook until one side of the tofu is browned, toss again, and cook until a second side is browned.  Remove from heat.

Divide the tofu, pear, and cucumber between the 8 lettuce leaves, and drizzle the filling of each lettuce leaf with the sauce.  Use the lettuce leaf as a wrap, and eat taco-style.

Serves 3 - 4.

Turkish Lentil Stew

This delicious recipe is from the book Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant.  The book highlights cuisine from various countries and cultures around the world and is so worth your attention! 

Ingredients:

1 c. dried French lentils

5 c. vegetable broth/stock

1 t. salt (or to taste)

1/4 c. olive oil

2 c. chopped onions

3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced

1/4 t. cayenne

2 bay leaves

1/2 c. bulghur

1/4 c. fresh parsley, chopped

1 15-oz. can petite diced tomatoes (or 2 c. chopped fresh tomatoes)

1/4 c. tomato paste

pinch dried rosemary

freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

2 c. stemmed, cleaned, and coarsely chopped fresh spinach

Method:

Rinse the lentils.  In a large saucepan, bring the lentils to a boil in the salted broth/stock.  Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until tender (about 40 mins).

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a stock pot over medium heat.  Sauté the onions until transluscent. Add the garlic, cayenne, bay leaves, and bulghur.  Stir the mixture over the heat until the onions and bulghur are lightly browned.

Add the parsley and tomatoes to the stockpot with the onions and bulghur.  When the tomatoes begin to release their juices, stir in the tomato paste.

Pour the lentils and their stock into the pot with the tomatoes, and simmer for 15 minutes.  Add the rosemary and black pepper, to taste.  Remove the bay leaves.

Stir in the spinach to wilt, and serve warm.

Serves about 4 as a main dish.

Tofu Zoodle Salad

This is a slightly modified version of a super-healthy recipe I found on a fascinating and beautifully photographed blog called Scaling Back.  Check it out here.

NOTE:  This recipe requires a special tool called a spiralizer.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Chinese tofu  (Tofu has a more desirable texture if it has been frozen for 24 hours, then thawed.  Plan ahead.)
soy sauce (or shoyu or tamari), to taste  (If you need to avoid gluten, check ingredients.  Not all of these are gluten-free..)
2 T. canola oil
1 c. frozen mukimame (shelled edamame)
3 T. peanut butter
2 T. lime juice
2 t. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 t. garlic chili paste
2 medium zucchini
1/2 c. shredded carrot (I buy the kind that is already shredded.  So convenient!)
1/2 avocado, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. chopped cashews (roasted but not salted)
1 T. toasted sesame seeds

Method:
Squeeze as much water out of the tofu as possible.  Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.  In a large non-stick skillet, cook the tofu over medium-high heat until water is no longer sizzling out of the tofu.  Drizzle the tofu with soy sauce, to taste.  Drizzle tofu with the canola oil.  Toss the tofu to coat in oil, and cook until browned on one side.  Toss again, and cook until browned on another side.  Remove from heat.

Cook the mukimame according to package directions.

Whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, 1 T. water, sesame oil, minced garlic, and chili paste in a small bowl to create the dressing.  Add water judiciously, if needed to thin the dressing.

Using a spiralizer, spiralize the zucchini on the most narrow setting so that it is about the diameter of spaghetti noodles.  Toss the zucchini, carrot, avocado, and parsley together with the dressing to coat.  Toss in the tofu and mukimame.  Top with cashews and sesame seeds, and serve immediately.

Serves 3 as a main dish.

Southwestern Stew with Coconut Quinoa

This special-tasting stew is slightly modified from Anna Lappé and Bryant Terry's (He's from Memphis!) recipe in their cookbook named deliciously Grub.

This is definitely a weekend dish, because it takes a while to make, but it's not difficult...and it's very tasty!

Ingredients:

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 c. sliced red onion
1 (or try 2 for more smoke and spice) chipotle chile in adobo sauce, finely chopped (Remove the seeds if you want to tame the heat.  Leave them if you want to keep it spicy.  They'll be puréed anyway.)
10 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped  (Yes:  10!)
one 28-oz can whole tomatoes, drained, juice reserved
2 bay leaves
up to 4 c. vegetable broth/stock
salt, to taste
2 medium white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/3-inch chunks
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 15-oz can coconut milk
1.5 c. quinoa, rinsed
3 T. dried unsweetened coconut
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can corn kernels, drained

Method:
Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, deep skillet that has a lid.  Add the onion and chipotle, and cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cook uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add the garlic, and cook uncovered for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.

In a blender, puree the drained tomatoes along with the onion and chipotle until smooth.  Pour the mixture back into the large skillet.  Add the bay leaves and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until it reaches a thick consistency (about 10 mins).

Add enough vegetable broth/stock to the reserved tomato juice to make 4 cups, then add to the puréed tomato mixture with 1 t. salt (or to taste).  Add the potato chunks, bring to a boil, cover the pot, reduce heat to low, and simmer until potatoes are softened (about 40-45 minutes).

While the potatoes are cooking, combine the coconut milk with 1.5 cups water and 3/4 t. salt in a large saucepan, and bring to a boil.  Add the quinoa and dried coconut, return to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Allow the quinoa to rest, covered, for another 5 minutes, then uncover and fluff with a fork.

When the potatoes are soft, remove the bay leaves from the stew and stir in the black beans and corn.  Serve the stew over the quinoa.  Serves 4 - 5.

Barley Hoppin' John

Not surprisingly, this is another slightly tweaked recipe from Eating Well magazine's website, which has supplied us with lots of great meals this year.

Ingredients:

1 T. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 bell pepper (any color), seeded and chopped
6 stalks celery, chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 3/4 c. vegetable broth
1.5 c. pearled barley
1/4 t. (rounded) crushed red pepper flakes
1/4 t. (rounded) Cajun seasoning, or to taste
1/4 t. (rounded) salt, or to taste
2 cans black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed

Method:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper and celery. Cook until the vegetables soften, about 4-5 minutes.
Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
Add broth, barley, crushed red pepper, Cajun seasoning, and salt.  Bring to a boil.
Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until the barley is done, 40 to 45 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in black-eyed peas. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
Serves 3-4 as a main dish. 

Asian Vegetable Stir-Fry with Soy Sauce Tofu

This recipe is slightly adapted from the Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2001 cookbook.  I serve this over white rice, but choose the "bed" of your preference.

Ingredients:

3 T. tomato paste

1.5 T. rice vinegar

1.5 T. soy sauce (or shoyu or tamari), plus additional sauce, to taste, for the tofu

1.5 t. curry powder

1/2 t. salt

scant 1/4 t. freshly-ground black pepper

1 lb. Chinese-style tofu (NOTE:  Tofu has a more desirable texture if it has been frozen for 24 hours, then thawed before use.  Plan ahead.)

1/4 c. canola oil, separated

1 large onion, peeled and sliced into wedges

1 c. chopped celery

2 bell peppers, chopped (any color works, but yellow and red are colorific)

1 c. frozen sugar snap peas in their pods or snow peas

1/2 head cabbage, thinly sliced (any kind - green, red, Savoy, or Napa)

1/2 c. water

If desired, choose a "bed" (e.g. I use white rice.) for the stir-fry, and prepare that food according to package instructions.

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.

Squeeze as much water as possible from the tofu, then cut it into 1/2-inch cubes.  Place the cubes in a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and cook until water is no longer sizzling out of the tofu.  Drizzle soy sauce, to taste, over the tofu cubes.  Drizzle 2 T. canola oil around the edge of the pan, and stir the tofu to coat.  Cook until the tofu is browned on one side, toss again, and cook until the tofu is browned on a second side.  Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large stir-fry pan, heat the remaining 2 T. canola oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and stir-fry for a minute or two.  Add the celery, bell pepper, and peas, and stir-fry for another 5 minutes.  Add the cabbage, and stir-fry until crisp-tender.  Add water and tomato paste mixture, and stir to coat the vegetables.  Remove from heat, stir in the tofu, and serve over the "bed" of your choice (e.g. rice).