Barley and Seitan Stirfry

Hearty and filling, you can make it a low-sodium affair by omitting the soy sauce in favor of sodium-free veggie broth.

1 Cup Cooked Barley
1 Cup Stirfry Veggie mix (I really like Marjon Stirfry Vegetables)
1/2 Cup Mushrooms
2 servings Seitan
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Regular Mayo
1/2 teaspoon Sesame Oil
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

1. On medium high heat,  heat the olive oil. When at temp, sautee the seitan until lightly browned. 
2. Add the mushrooms, barley and veggies, stir to combine and let sit for a minute.
3. Add the soy sauce and lemon juice and stir
4. Cook for another 5 minutes or until vegetables are cooked to your liking.
5. Remove from heat
6. Combine Mayo, ginger and Sesame oil into a sauce and add to the pan. Stir to coat
7. Serve!

Roasted Broccoli

I have yet to find a veggie that doesn't do well in the oven. Things like this are nice because they don't require much skill, attention, preparation or time, but it's hard to mess up and it's always good. And hey- one less thing hogging the stovetop.

I love roasted broccoli because there are so many things that happen to it while roasting- it gets sweeter and richer without being bitter and there's a little bit of texture with the charred bits and the caramelized bottom. It's everything steamed and boiled broccoli want to be but can't.


Roasted Broccoli

Ingredients:

• One broccoli top, cut into medium-sized pieces.
• Enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to lightly coat broccoli
• Salt (Kosher or Gray is best here), Fresh-Ground Pepper and garlic powder* to taste
• Juice of half a lemon (or to taste)
• Crumbled goat cheese to top (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Drizzle oil on broccoli and mix to cover evenly
3. Sprinkle on salt, pepper and garlic as desired
4. Roast for 10 minutes or until the tops are just starting to char and the broccoli has just darkened from the super-bright green stage.
5. Drizzle with lemon and cheese
6. Serve and enjoy

Obviously, you can use whatever cheese you want. I like the bright fresh creaminess of the goat cheese, but whatever floats your boat.

*Okay. So, fresh garlic vs powdered. Fresh garlic tastes amazing, but it a situation like this, it will burn and not taste good at all. The dry stands up to the heat better and won't burn. Besides, the dried gives a more subtle flavor without overpowering the food in this circumstance.You'll thank me later.

Simple Sauteed Kale

As requested by Jess and Cristina, this is how I do Kale (and mustard greens). Well, roughly. I do a LOT of things like this by eye, so this is just a general idea.

The trick to leafy greens is not overcooking. They need to be softened, but not cooked to oblivion. Kale is nice because you can do this in 10 minutes from start to finish. It should be just past the uber bright green phase; it will be soft while still having a little bite to it.

I prefer using non-bagged kale for this because I can remove the stem. It's also cheap as all get out (I paid 99 cents for my last bunch and it will last for days)! But, if you like the texture of the stem, rock on! If you buy it fresh, look for stems that aren't bendy and leaves that feel fresh, strong and not slimy. Remove the leaves from the stem and tear the leaves into the size you want. Don't forget to clean the kale!

Also keep in mind that it's going to look like tons of kale- it will wilt down, so don't worry.

So, without further adieu...

Ingredients

• 3-4 whole leaves (leaves on the stem) of kale, either coarsely chopped or de-stemed and cut down. If you use bagged, it's approx two handfuls.
• One shallot (or 1/4 onion), chopped.
• One clove garlic, chopped
• Abt 1-2 tablespoons Dry Vermouth
• Salt and Pepper to taste (I like kosher and fresh ground black, respectively
• Pinch fresh-ground nutmeg (optional, but worth it- greens love nutmeg)
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil

Method

1. Heat oil in Saute pan or Wok over medium heat
2. Add shallots (with a little salt and pepper) and saute lightly until clear
3. Add garlic and saute 1 more minute
4. Add kale, toss a few times and add the vermouth a little at a time until the kale just starts to wilt
5. Toss the kale for approx 3-5 minutes or until it softens and just darkens from the very bright green.
6. Add salt, pepper and nutmeg as desired.

The nice thing about this is you can add and subtract whatever you want. You can add mushrooms to the onions. You can use veggie stock instead of the Vermouth (you might want to add a little lemon at the end if you do, though.). I'll even stir in a dollop of sour cream or Greek Yogurt. It's really versatile. :)

Roasted Root Veggies

After all the richness of the holiday foods, I needed something lighter! This is an old winter standby for me.

A lot of this is done by eye, which makes putting this into a recipe somewhat of a challenge. Basically what you're looking for is equal parts of the larger veggies cut in to similar-sized bits.

Another way you can handle the garlic, aside from the medium mince in the recipe below, would be to cut the cloves in half or leave them whole. Just add more cloves if you go this route. Remember, the finer the chop, the more garlic flavor that will come out.

Roasted Root Veggies

Ingredients:

• 1-2 large carrots


• 1-2 large parsnips


• 1 large fennel bulb with the fennel leaves removed and reserved


• 1-2 red onions


• 1-4 red potatoes


• 1-3 cloves of garlic


• Herbs de Provance to taste


• Kosher Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper to taste (but, don't be shy)


• One teaspoon, finely chopped fennel leaves from the fennel bulb (optional)


• Olive Oil and Vermouth

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 400


2. Peel and chop all veggies into 1/2 to 1-inch cubes (everything should be the same size, but remember that the larger the cubes, the longer the cook time, except the garlic, which you should do a medium mince. Chop the potatoes first so they can soak while you prepare the rest of the veggies. Leave the skins on if desired (just wash them first, mkay?). For the fennel, chop the top off and only use the bulb


3. Drain the potatoes and combine all the veggies, including the garlic, in a bowl.


4. Drizzle enough olive oil and vermouth to coat everything, using more oil than vermouth. Add all seasonings.


5. Cover and allow to sit on the counter for 5-10 minutes.


6. After a quick toss, pour out the veggies onto a foil-lined cookie sheet and bake for 20-50 minutes (depends on veggie size and your oven.). Root veggies can take a while, so be patient. Turn veggies occasionally.

Roasted Garlic

Basic, but it goes along with the Baba Ghanush I'm creating. And a lot of other things. Or just on toast.

There are a lot of ways to roast garlic. None of them are wrong if you get the desired result. This is my version, even though it's really more like braised garlic. But, whatever- it's still yummy and the leftover oil is great for dipping bread if you don't use it for anything else!

Roasted Garlic

Ingredients:

• One head of garlic


• Enough Olive oil to cover

Tools:

• Aluminum foil (about a foot)


• cake pan (size doesn't matter here- this is just to hold the foil pack you're going to make)

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350.


2. Separate and peel all of the cloves from the head of garlic


3. Put garlic on the foil


4. Pull up the sides of the foil so you've created a bowl with the diamter of a soda pop can. Don't close the top, yet!


5. After placing the foil pack in the cake pan, add the olive oil so it covers the very top of the garlic pile


6. Close the packet and roast until garlic is medium to light brown and tender.

Cook time will vary depending on how much garlic you have. I've had it take anywhere from 15 minutes to 45, just keep an eye on it and lightly jostle the packet occationally.

Don't be tempted to crank the heat to speed up the cooking time! Let the garlic take it's time. If you rush garlic, it will get a horrible, bitter taste.

Garlic is tasty, yet vegeful.

"Risotto" Hash Browns

I use "risotto" because I use stock while cooking. Not only does it add an element of creaminess, but it deglazes the pan and adds flavor. With prep time, this takes about 45 minutes. I use chicken stock, but you can make this vegetarian by using veggie broth or full-on vegan by using a non-animal fat (like all veggie oil, for example) for cooking. Just make sure SOME kind of fat is used so the taters can brown properly.

"Risotto" Hash Browns

note: The measurements for the seasonings are approximate. I usually do this by eye.

Ingredients:

• 2-3 Small Russet Potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes


• 1 Small onion, chopped into 1/4-inch peices


• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced


• 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika


• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder


• pinch each dry mustard, whole coriandar seeds, whole cumin, whole fennel, ground in a mortar and pestle (should equate to 1/4-1/2 teaspoon, all together)


• salt and fresh ground pepper to taste


• a cup or more of chicken stock (fresh is great if you're up to it. I rock a good boxed most of the time.)


• 1 teaspoon each veggie oil and butter for cooking

Method:

1. Peel and cut potatoes and leave to soak in water. This will remove some of the starch and keep the taters from getting too sticky.


2. While preheating a 12" skillet over medium heat, prepare the onions and garlic.


3. Add the oil and butter to preheated pan. Add onions and cook covered for 5-7 minutes. Lighly salt and pepper if desired.


4. When the onions are clear and slightly brown, add the garlic and cook uncovered for one more minute.


5. Add the potatoes and all of the seaonings. Add just enough stock to cover the potatoes halfway up. Stir to make sure all the potatoes are covered evenly in seasonings.


6. Cover and cook for 10-15 minutes (or when the stock has reduced almost all the way) at a simmer.


7. Add more stock (same amount) and stir. Cook for another 10-15 minutes.


8. Check for tenderness. If taters need more time (you should be able to cut them easily with your spatula or spoon.), add just enough stock to cover the bottom and cook for another 5-10 minutes.


9. They will be ready to eat at this stage, but feel free to crank the heat and brown more if desired.

You shoud have a pile of brown taters that have a slighly saucy look. If they ever last long enough to do so, I'll post a picture of them.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

I'm a BIG fan of roasting veggies. They don't go mushy on you and their flavor gets really sweet and intense. I created this dish as a Thanksgiving side on a lark 3 years ago and am hooked; I'm pretty much ruined on steaming now!

These are really easy to prepare and are a tasty way to eat a "scary" veggie. I've won over non-believers with this dish. :)

So, without further adieu:

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

• 2 Pounds Whole, fresh Brussels Sprouts, cleaned and halved
• One (or two if you'd like) small red onion, chopped to roughly the same size as the spouts.
• Couple heavy pinches of Truffle Salt (Kosher works in a pinch)
• Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
• Herbs de Provence
• 1-2 Tsp Olive Oil
• enough Vermouth to cover the bottom of the roasting pan
• Fresh Goat Cheese (optional)

1) Turn oven to 375
2) While preheating, In a 9X13 Pyrex dish, combine all the ingredients and allow to sit for 20 minutes
3) Make sure mixture is well-mixed before putting into oven
4) Bake covered for 15-20 minutes, uncover and bake until veggies have carmelized.
5) Remove from oven and top with goat cheese