By Michelle Stark • Times Food Editor
Here are some vegan recipes that use mostly whole foods and naturally vegan ingredients, scrumptious and satisfying meals that longtime vegans and omnivores alike will enjoy.
Breakfast
EASY
Churro Waffles
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed
1 ripe banana, lightly mashed
1 ½ cups almond milk
⅓ cup vegan margarine
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
For the topping:
⅓ cup sugar
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 to 2 bananas
Preheat and prepare a waffle iron following manufacturer's instructions.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed, banana, almond milk, vegan margarine, vanilla and cinnamon and beat with an electric handheld mixer. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.
Make the topping: In a shallow bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Make waffles following manufacturer's instructions. As soon as you remove the waffles from the iron, place them in the dish with the cinnamon-sugar topping and flip a few times to get an even coating. Serve the waffles hot with sliced bananas or blueberries over the top.
Makes 12 waffles.
Source: Adapted from Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking by Annie and Dan Shannon (Grand Central Life and Style, 2015)
EASY
Roasted Red Flannel Hash
¼ cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vegan Worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon dried oregano
Pinch of celery seed
1 red onion, diced
4 small beets, trimmed, peeled and cut into cubes
1 pound new potatoes, cut into small cubes
⅓ cup chopped raw kale leaves
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, thyme, oregano and celery seed. Toss in the onion, beets and potatoes and mix with a large spoon.
Transfer the vegetable mixture to a cast iron skillet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, flip the vegetable mixture with a spatula and bake for another 15 minutes. Once the vegetables are tender, stir in the kale and bake for another 5 minutes.
Once the kale is slightly wilted, remove the skillet from the oven and let cool. Serve the hash warm.
Serves 4 to 6.
Source: Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking by Annie and Dan Shannon (Grand Central Life and Style, 2015)
Lunch
EASY
Sesame Peanut Noodles
For the peanut sauce:
⅓ cup peanut butter
¼ cup tahini
2 tablespoons Sriracha or Thai chile sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon garlic paste
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of red pepper flakes
For the noodles:
4 to 6 servings of soba or udon noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
½ green bell pepper, sliced
½ red bell pepper, sliced
3 to 4 green onions, diced
¼ cup dry-roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
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Explore all your optionsMake the peanut sauce: In a bowl, whisk together the peanut sauce ingredients until completely blended. Set aside.
Make the noodles: Cook the noodles according to the directions on the package. Drain and set aside.
In a wok or large cast iron skillet, heat the sesame oil over medium heat. Toss in the noodles and bell peppers. Cook, tossing continuously with a spatula or wooden paddle, until peppers are tender. Add 2 green onions, the peanuts and the sesame seeds, then mix in the peanut sauce. Once the noodles are coated, remove from the heat.
This is a good lunch meal because it can be served cold, with the rest of the green onions on top.
Serves 4 to 6.
Source: Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking by Annie and Dan Shannon (Grand Central Life and Style, 2015)
EASY
Pan-Seared Corn and Quinoa Salad
For the Lime and Pepper Dressing:
⅓ cup olive oil
Juice of 3 limes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon dried oregano
¼ teaspoon crushed black peppercorns
½ teaspoon chili powder
Pinch of paprika
For the salad:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 ears corn, husked
1 cup quinoa, cooked
½ cup fresh cilantro
2 stalks celery, chopped
½ red bell pepper, diced
3 green onions, chopped
¼ cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 lime, cut into wedges
Make the dressing: In an airtight container, whisk together the dressing ingredients. Cover and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes to help the flavors mingle.
Make the salad: Brush a cast iron skillet with olive oil and set it over medium heat. Once the skillet is hot, add the corn and brush the ears with olive oil. Using a fork, gently roll the corn to evenly sear. It should take about 3 minutes for the corn to be lightly browned. Transfer the corn to a plate and place in the fridge to cool.
In a large bowl, toss together the quinoa, cilantro, celery, bell pepper, green onions and pumpkin seeds. Add as much of the jalapeno as you like, ½ teaspoon at a time, depending on how hot you want the salad to be.
Remove the corn from the fridge. Set the stalk end of one ear or corn in large bowl and hold the top by the narrow end. Gently run a large, sharp knife down the cob to remove the kernels, letting them fall into the bowl. Rotating the corn is less awkward than moving the knife and will get you larger kernels.
Toss the corn kernels into the quinoa salad and mix with a large spoon. Mix in the dressing, transfer the salad to an airtight container and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes. Serve cold, with a wedge of lime to squeeze over the top.
Serves 4 to 6.
Source: Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking by Annie and Dan Shannon (Grand Central Life and Style, 2015)
Dinner
MODERATE
Rustic Pesto and Heirloom Tomato Tart
For the dough:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup olive oil
For the pesto:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup fresh basil leaves
½ cup fresh spinach leaves
3 cloves garlic
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
To assemble:
12 ounces small heirloom tomatoes, thinly sliced
3 Campari or small Roma tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Cornmeal, for dusting
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Make the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together the flours and salt. Blend in the olive oil, then gradually add water, using up to ½ cup, until you can form the dough into a ball. Loosely wrap the dough in plastic wrap and press it into a disc. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.
Make the pesto: In a food processor, combine all the pesto ingredients and process to a smooth paste.
Assemble the tart: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. While still wrapped loosely in plastic wrap, gently roll the dough into an even circle. Brush with some of the pesto. Then, place a layer of the tomato slices on the dough, overlapping them slightly and leaving a ½-inch edge clear for the crust. Make two to three layers of tomato slices, drizzling a little pesto between each layer and saving the most colorful tomatoes for the top layer. Using a spoon, place dollops of pesto across the top of the tart in any spots where the tomatoes have left pockets. Drizzle the pesto oil over the top, then sprinkle evenly with the pine nuts. Fold the edges of the dough over the filling, leaving the center exposed.
Dust a pizza stone or cookie sheet with cornmeal. Gently move the tart to the pizza stone or cookie sheet. Sprinkle two pinches of salt and pepper over the top of your tart.
Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.
Makes 1 tart.
Source: Mastering the Art of Vegan Cooking by Annie and Dan Shannon (Grand Central Life and Style, 2015)
MODERATE
Moroccan Vegetable Stew
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small yellow onion, diced
4 to 6 cloves garlic, finely minced or pressed
2 small carrots, cut into ¼-inch coins
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 large turnips, peeled and cut into ½-inch pieces
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons granulated sugar or agave
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
3 ½ cups vegetable broth
2 medium zucchini, sliced into ½-inch pieces
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 pinches saffron threads
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ¼ cups water
1 ½ cups uncooked quinoa
⅓ cup golden raisins
Handful of cilantro, chopped
In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring as needed, for 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to soften. Add the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes, or until the onions are starting to become golden. Add the carrots, sweet potatoes and turnips and stir well. Sprinkle the cumin, sugar, cinnamon and allspice over the vegetables, giving them a good stir to coat. Add the diced tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes and turnips are beginning to soften, for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in the broth, zucchini and chickpeas. Bring the mixture to a boil. Crumble the saffron threads into the mixture. Reduce heat to a summer and partially cover. Continue cooking for 20 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and tender and the stew is thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.
While the stew is cooking, prepare the quinoa. In a medium saucepan, combine the hot water and the quinoa and bring to a simmer. Add the golden raisins, give it a quick stir, cover and reduce the heat to low. Let the quinoa cook for 15 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat. Leave the pot covered and set aside until the stew is done.
Serve the hot stew over the cooked quinoa and sprinkle the top with chopped cilantro.
Serves 4 to 6.
Source: Vegan Casseroles by Julie Hasson (Running Press, 2014)
