Tag: vegan

Stuffed Sweet Potato with Lots of Things, Plus Avocado Cream

A little boat of delicious: sweet potato, roasted broccoli, quinoa,
chopped cashews, and avocado cream.

So this was supposed to post on Wednesday, except I posted Monday’s blog on Tuesday.

Monday was Yom Kippur and KWeeks was home from school. These days, the only way I have been able to keep track of time is through other people. Because I am a freelance writer, every day can be pretty much like the next in the sense that I set my own schedule and can work whenever so long as I meet my deadlines. I have taken to working on the weekends so that I can enjoy the out-of-doors without dodging non-mask-wearing joggers and people who don’t think leash laws apply to them.

But I digress.

This is ostensibly a food blog, but it is having a crisis of conscience. Yes, we all need to eat, and this here is some excellent vegan food that you won’t believe is actually good for you (but it so is), but there are things happening in the world that make it hard to post pithy blog posts about food.

I am not one of those people who is moving on with the news cycle. #Blacklivesstillmatter

And it is luxurious in my life to be able to put aside whatever is trouble and whip up some food. A luxury that so many don’t have.

And I am not here to justify any of that.

But I am here to say this: here is something delicious that I created with loved and shared with people so they can feel good in their bodies.

It doesn’t erase or negate my feelings about what is happening in the world, and it’s not the only action I am taking.

But it’s the small thing I can do – feed people – that I know makes a difference.

I am trying to figure out how to make this more of love in action instead of love online. If you have thoughts, let me know. I am open.

Stuffed Sweet Potato With Roasted Broccoli, Red Onion, Chopped Cashews, and Avocado Cream
(serves 4)

Make this on Sunday night for delicious lunches all week. Quinoa is a densely nutritious seed – a so-called “false grain” – that pairs well with sweet potatoes. Together they provide a sweet-bitter balance of taste set off by the sharp tang of the lime juice.

Ingredients

4 sweet potatoes, scrubbed well
2 cups stock (vegetable or chicken)
1 small red onion, chopped
1 cup quinoa, rinsed in cold water (see Recipe Notes)
1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets (about 4 cups)
¼ cup olive oil
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon salt
2 very ripe avocadoes
½ cup coconut milk
1 tablespoon lime juice (more to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup chopped cashews
optional: fresh chopped cilantro (see Recipe Notes)

Method

Preheat oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Scrub sweet potatoes and remove any blemishes. Prick each sweet potato with a fork, then place directly on the oven rack to roast (put a piece of aluminum foil under them to catch any spills). Set your kitchen timer for 25 minutes.

Bring stock to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ½ cup of onion, quinoa, and a pinch of salt. Return to a boil, lower heat, cover, and simmer until liquid is absorbed – about 15 to 20 minutes.

After your quinoa is covered, prepare the broccoli. Place broccoli, olive oil, cumin, salt, and pepper in large bowl and toss to coat. Pour onto baking sheet. When the timer for the sweet potatoes goes off, put broccoli in the oven with the sweet potatoes and roast for 20 minutes. The broccoli will be done in 20 minutes, and sweet potatoes should be, too, but check by poking with a fork. They should give easily all the way to the center. If not, roast until done.

While the broccoli is roasting, make the avocado cream. Place avocado, coconut milk, and lime juice in a blender or food processor. Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and process until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed – consider more lime, salt, or pepper as needed.

When everything is ready, serve family-style with chopped cashews and cilantro (if using), or assemble and pack into portable containers for lunch on the run. Leave avocado cream on the side until ready to heat and eat.

Recipe Notes

• This makes extra quinoa to use in quick salads, in lunch bowls, or as a side. If you want just enough for this meal, cut amounts in half.
• If you are a fan of cilantro, you can add it to the avocado cream. It is optional here as some are not fond of the taste, and a little goes a long way.
• Carnivores can add the meat of their choice to this meal. Think leftover chicken or grilled steak.

Cream of Mushroom Soup (Vegan)

Luscious and warming – just like me.

Edited: this was written prior to the death of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg. We have apparently now entered the meaty side of things.

Yes, I am aware that I said we would get into the meaty side of things – and we will.

Seems like much of life these days is waiting to get into the meaty things.

But in the meantime, the nights will be in the mid-40s for the next week, with sunny, dry fall days ahead. This vegan cream of mushroom soup is perfect for lunch, or with crusty bread and a big salad for dinner. It freezes well, so put some up for the rainy days ahead.

Cream of Mushroom Soup
(serves 6, with leftovers)

Luscious and creamy without a trace of cream, this silky soup is full of grounding, warming flavors and herbs. A perfect vegan lunch, or see Recipe Notes for meat-eating options. Use homemade chicken, vegetable, or beef stock (see recipes included below), or look for store-bought organic stocks with limited ingredients. Seasoning makes the difference here, so don’t shy away from salt and pepper. Taste as you go.

Ingredients

1 cup raw cashews (see Recipe Notes)
¼ cup olive oil or ghee (divided)
1 cup onion, chopped (red, yellow, and white all work)
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 pounds mushrooms, roughly chopped (see Recipe Notes)
3 tablespoons fresh thyme (or 3 teaspoons dried)
2 tablespoon fresh sage (or 2 teaspoons dried)
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock (divided)
Salt and pepper to taste
Splash of apple cider vinegar for serving
optional for carnivores: ground beef, browned and drained (see Recipe Notes)
optional for serving: fresh thyme and fresh chopped parsley

Method

Cover cashews with boiling water and let sit for at least 30 minutes. Drain, then purée in a blender with ½ cup of chicken or vegetable stock. Set aside.

Heat olive oil or ghee in a large stockpot over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it begins to turn translucent and take on some color (about 5 to 7 minutes). Add garlic and cook for 1 more minute.

Turn the heat to medium high and add the mushrooms, a handful at a time, allowing the mushrooms to color just a bit before adding more. You may need to add a little more ghee or olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, and add fresh thyme and sage. Add remaining stock and bring to a low simmer. Cook until mushrooms are tender (10 to 12 minutes), then add cashew purée, starting with a ¼ cup and adding to get the consistency you want. You may need to add more stock or less cashew purée.

If you are using ground beef, add it back in now and bring the soup back to a low boil. Remove from heat. Add a splash of apple cider vinegar, season to taste, and serve with chopped fresh thyme and parsley.

Recipe Notes

• If you have leftover Cashew Cream, it works well in this recipe. Simply add whatever you like for a nice creamy consistency.
• Select any mushrooms you like. In the fall, look for local chanterelles and porcini mushrooms, as well as year-round shitake and Portobello. A mix of mushrooms works fine here.
• If you are making the carnivorous version of this silky soup, start by browning one pound of ground beef in a stockpot. Remove the ground beef when browned and proceed with sautéing the onion, as above (no need to add ghee or olive oil). Make sure and scrape the browned bits of ground beef off the bottom of the pot as you sauté the onions. Add ground beef back in after you incorporate the cashew purée.

How to Stop and When to Die: Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Kale in Coconut Broth

It’s hard to take a good picture of this, but I can tell you with utter certainty that it is fucking delicious.

One of my favorite artists, Marina Abramovic, said this in the documentary Blurred Lines: Inside the Art World:

“It’s important as an artist to know how to stop and when to die.”

I am not sure why this strikes me as so profoundly true, but it does. I have long planned to take up smoking again when I hit 80, and I am adamantly opposed to overstaying my welcome here on this earthly plane.

But the time to stop (and the time to die) are not yet here. Even in this garbage fire of a country, with literal fires in the west and metaphorical fires everywhere, there is still much work to be done.

Here’s some fuel for your good work.

Sweet Potato, Broccoli, Mushrooms, and Kale in Coconut Broth
(serves 4 to 6)

There is a lot of chopping here, but don’t let that scare you off. Use pre-chopped veggies as needed to make this largely hands-off, and feel free to swap out vegetables that you prefer. Optional but recommended is fresh cilantro for serving. See Recipe Notes for optional additions for carnivores.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons ghee or olive oil
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
½ teaspoon coriander seed
½ large yellow onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¼” cubes (about 3 cups)
2 cups of chopped mushrooms (see Recipe Notes)
2 cups broccoli florets
1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 16-ounce bag frozen kale (or 3 cups fresh, chopped small)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
Lemon wedges (for serving)
Optional but highly recommended: fresh chopped cilantro for serving

Method

Heat ghee/olive oil in a large frying pan with high sides over medium heat.

Add mustard and coriander seeds and stir. When they begin to pop, add onion, garlic, and ginger and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften.

Add sweet potato, mushrooms, and broccoli. Stir and sauté for 6 minutes, or until the sweet potato just begins to soften slightly.

Add coconut milk, kale, and walnuts and season with salt and pepper. Lower heat, then cover and cook for 10 minutes. Sweet potatoes should be cooked through but not completely mushy, so check at the halfway point.

Check for seasoning and add salt and/or pepper to taste.

Serve with lemon wedges and freshly chopped cilantro.

Recipe Notes

• You can use any type of mushroom in this, so pick which ones you like. They are chopped fine and so the shape does not matter. Portobellos give a great flavor and texture and are recommended, but cremini mushrooms work just as well.
• Feel free to substitute your favorite vegetables here or play with amounts above. Love mushrooms and just tolerate broccoli? Think cabbage might be delicious, or want to try snap peas or butternut squash? Adjust accordingly.
• It’s always an option to add your choice of animal protein to any recipe. In this case, sliced, fried sausage coins would be a delicious addition.

Sunny Days = Delicious Lunch

So much deliciousness in one place.

So it’s about 70 degrees outside as I type this from my aerie facing 35th Street in the Hampden neighborhood of Baltimore.

Just now, I can hear a firetruck and, over that, my neighbor Clarence’s loud voice, booming from his front door as he drinks from a plastic cup that has invariably been filled with something of a high proof since the clock struck 12. He greets everyone, makes small talk, just to be outside in the neighborhood.

It’s a thing, that, the conviviality of a person you don’t know, hailing you from the street as you walk past. He gets louder as the day wears on, and what is now a bit muddy to hear will ring clear as day by the time the sun sets over the yardarm. He is as constant as the sun, out in all weather, and generally one of the things that make daily life in this era feel “normal.”

My day has been filled with an early hike through Druid Hill Park, COVID baking, and this delicious lunch – Warm Lentil and Potato Salad.

The recipe is not mine, but it needs sharing. I made a few changes – you should, too, based on whatever is in your pantry.

To wit:

  • Subbed red onion for shallot
  • Used French lentils (but I think caviar lentils would be incredible here)
  • Subbed kosher dill chips for capers AND gherkins (it’s what I had – spicy pickles would have been nice)
  • Used coarse ground mustard
  • Subbed chives for scallions
  • Used new potatoes that were getting long in the tooth

Fresh herbs may be challenging, but I used parsley, thyme, and chives from my back porch. I imagine you could use dried thyme if you needed to, but the fresh parsley was sort of key.

Serving sizes in the recipe are true. Makes four big dinner servings, especially with a dippy egg cracked on top (which I did not have – see aforementioned COVID baking). I warrant this will be good cold, too, but you could warm it up if you feel so inclined.

Sharp and salty, zingy from the vinegar, and creamy with the flesh of new potatoes, this lunch feels like a healthy hug. I highly recommend it.

What’s on your plate today?

 

Food For When You Feel Meh: Confetti Salad

Eating with a spoon is the best kind of eating. Fight me.

Well, here we are, July 1, time for me to begin to pull together the one blog a month I felt I could pull off.

Yes, this is past tense.

But I am not going to beat myself up about it. Because here I am, on the 1st, sitting in my studio, looking at a painting in progress and watching the neighborhood scary/tragic neighbor do slow and sweaty laps around the block on a loop. And writing this.

This July 1st, I find my two favorite people out of town, one for one week, the other for two, and I am feeling a mite blue about that. Mine is a generally solitary existence, but the people I like I really like and I want them around.

Mercury is again going retrograde as well, and there are two eclipses in the month of July. So according to astrology, my communication is going to suck, mood swings will abound, and I will doubt myself. In other words, it’s another day that ends in “y.”

On top of the stupid solar system and my MIA people, my plan to get rejected is going well. The goal is 100 rejections by the end of 2020, and although I started off slowly, things are picking up. I found a place that will reject my work within 24 hours, and The Sun has rejected my photography, poetry, and prose. The point of all of this rejection is to get serious about submission and creating new works, and to some extent, it is working. I have written a couple of new poems this past month and have been note-taking and researching other forms of poetry and doing generally writerly things.

But the rejection can be a little challenging. Not knock-me-back-on-my-ass challenging, just not completely pleasant. I have gotten some lovely form rejection letters (in the vein of, “This is no commentary on the quality of the writing” which may, upon reflection, be a falsehood and not very nice at all and actually a loud commentary on the quality of the writing).

I do have a poem being published in Plainsongs this month. The acceptance letter referred to it as “your fine poem.” My self-esteem will be dining on those three words for at least the rest of the summer.

So I am just feeling meh and low-grade shitty. As this is a blog, I put that forth as an entirely legitimate way to describe what I am feeling. I am saving the words for the poetry.

And I have been cooking, even though it’s sad little meals for one. Today I made mango sticky rice in the rice cooker and some granola with the last bits of Costco dried mango (it’s mango-riffic), the only fruit I could scrounge up in my pantry.

I made gluten-free chocolate frosted chocolate fudge chocolate Pop-tarts that I had to throw out because they were making me ill, they were so rich (I saved an unfrosted batch in the ‘fridge).

I made epic pizza crust and ate the shit outta that (pro-tip: don’t make the crust too thin and it’s MONEY).

Many other lesser lights have made it to the groaning board in the past 30 days, but here’s the thing: when I feel low-grade shitty, I only want to cook sweet things, or else I want to lounge around in my bed and eat chips and watch crappy Netflix (I call this “Netflix and chonk”).

When this gets old, I need some food for real. Easy food that can be made with whatever is in the ‘fridge that’s not cold cereal, chips, gluten-free chicken tenders, or an entire cake.

So I make confetti salad.

Easy: boil two cups of water/veggie stock and add one cup rinsed quinoa and half a diced onion. Cover and cook until fluffy.

Add to a large bowl: three shredded carrots, one diced bell pepper, handful of chopped cilantro, handful of dried fruit, handful of pumpkin seeds, handful of sunflower seeds, can of chickpeas (rinsed and rained), juice of one lemon, olive oil, and black pepper. Add cooked quinoa, stir, adjust seasoning (maybe more lemon juice or olive oil), and you’re done.

Infinite variations. Add sliced snap peas. Dried fruit can be raisins, cranberries, barberries, mango, cherries. Add a thinly sliced spicy pepper. Use parsley instead of cilantro. Mix up the seeds. Add fresh, halved cherry tomatoes. Add warm grilled chicken (otherwise it’s vegan).

I eat this warm, cold, and room temperature. Throw it over greens. Whatever. Perfect for when your people are gone and you have been barefisting hunks of cake in front of the ‘fridge since they left.

Happy summer.