This winter, Hannah and I had the opportunity to put on a full five course meal for 8 people as a fund raiser for the First Congregational Church in Riverside CA. Because it was such a big meal, it took us some time to figure out all the recipes and how it would work out.
In the end I think that the whole thing came out spectacularly! So you to can put on a vegan 5 course meal, here is what we served.
Home Made Humus Dip and Vegetables:
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, also called garbanzo beans
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, about 1 large lemon
1/4 cup tahini
Half of a large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving
1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt, depending on taste
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
2 to 3 tablespoons water
Dash of ground paprika for serving
In a food processor, add all ingredients except water. As humus is processing, add water for desired smoothness. Serve immediately or store in refrigerator fro up to a week. Sprinkle some paprika on top for a more pretty version.
BlackEye Pea and Kale Winter Soup:
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
2 cups diced white onions (about 1 medium onion)
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh oregano leaves
1/2 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp. chipotle powder
1 Tbsp. smoked paprika
3 cups vegetable broth
3 cups water
2 Tbsp. wakame flakes, ground or crushed into fine pieces
3 cups cooked black-eyed peas
1 head kale, stems discarded and leaves chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
- In a large pot, melt the coconut oil over medium heat.
- Add the onions and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the celery and bell pepper and cook for a few minutes longer.
- Stir in the oregano, thyme, chipotle, and paprika and cook for about 30 seconds.
- Add the vegetable broth, water, wakame flakes, and black-eyed peas.* Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, uncovered, for 30 minutes, adding more water if needed.
- After the soup is cooked through, stir in the kale* and keep over the heat for a minute longer—just long enough to wilt the kale.
- Add the lemon juice and turn off the heat. Top with parsley and serve.
Makes 6 to 8 servings
Quinoa Pizza Balls:
2/3 cup quinoa, dry
2 cups vegetable broth or stock
2 cups cooked white or red kidney beans
10-15 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped
2/3 cup tomato paste
3-5 drops plain stevia liquid, to your taste
garlic salt, to your taste
If your quinoa is not pre-rinsed, rinse well and drain. Bring the broth to a boil in a medium pot over high heat. Add quinoa, lower heat to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Check the quinoa; if the liquid is not yet absorbed, cover and cook for 5-10 minutes longer, until the liquid is absorbed and quinoa is softened. Set aside.
Preheat oven to 350F (180C). Line two cookie sheets with parchment, or spray with nonstick spray.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mash the beans with a potato masher or large fork until almost smooth (but leave a little texture). Add remaining ingredients, including quinoa, and, with clean hands, knead the “dough” to combine well.
Using a small ice cream scoop or tablespoon, scoop the mixture and roll into balls. Place on cookie sheets and bake in preheated oven 25-35 minutes, rotating the pans about halfway through, until the balls are dry and well browned on the outside. Serve immediately, or store in a covered container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. Makes about two dozen. May be frozen.
Vegan Quiche:
1 vegan pie crust (I used Hannah's secret family recipe, sorry can't share)
1 package of firm tofu (squeezed to get all the liquid out)
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups of spinach (or more, the more veggie the merrier)
1 medium broccoli chopped
4-8 quartered artichoke hearts (dried of with a paper towel)
1 sliced pepper (red, green, or yellow, your choice)
1-2 shopped cloves of garlic
1/3 cups almond milk
2 Tbs tahini
2 tsp curry powder
2 Tbs olive oil
cayenne pepper to taste
Pre-heat oven 375
In a blender combine the tofu, almond milk, tahini, curry, cayenne until a paste. if too thick add more almond milk, or if you want a different flavor add some soy sauce.
In a frying pan saute the onions until translucent. add rest of veggies and cover until spinach is wilted.
In a medium bowl combine tofu mixture and vegetables
In a pie pan lay out pie crust. poke holes in the bottom with fork.
add mixture to pie pan
bake for 18-20 min
Once hard looking and a little brownish take out and enjoy with a little bit of ketchup.
And
Vegan Carrot Cake:
2 1/3 c all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp nutmeg
½ tsp salt
6 tbsp flax seed meal
3/4 c warm water
1½ c sugar
1 c oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 c shredded carrots
1 c raisins
Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz vegan cream cheese
¼ c crisco
1 tsp vanilla
2 c powdered sugar
Preheat oven to 350º. Line two 8×8″ pans or one 9x11 with parchment paper. In a small bowl, sift together dry ingredients (flour through salt). In a large bowl, whisk together flax seed meal and water. Beat in sugar and oil. Add vanilla and carrots and mix until combined. Add dry mix and stir until moistened. Fold in raisins. Pour equal parts into pans. Bake for 18-20 min, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in pans 10 minutes.
For the frosting, beat together cream cheese and margarine. Add vanilla and powdered sugar; whip until smooth. (Don’t overbeat; in my experience, store-bought vegan cream cheese has a tendency to get runny.)
