Virtual Vegan Potluck: Beet Black Bread

I've barely posted since the last Virtual Vegan Potluck, but having let Vegan Mofo come and go with nary a blog entry, I wasn't about to let the potluck pass me by as well. (Especially when I learned that beets would be the featured ingredient.  As the random red stains around my kitchen will attest, I adore beets.)  My life has been busy in the most delightful way, and the last few months for me have involved lots of time spent introducing my nine-month old daughter to as many flavors and textures of food as I can come up with.  So far she has yet to meet any flavors she doesn't like, though curry took a couple tries before she decided it was okay.  But enough about me, lets talk about this beautiful hunk I've been cavorting with:

This was my first time making black bread, but I figured matching beets with rye and carraway couldn't go too wrong.  (Possibly I should have called it red bread, but while I don't mind alliterative food, rhyming food seems like a bit much.)  Be warned that this recipe makes a massive loaf, good for sharing with a holiday crowd, but potentially dangerous if you decide to scarf it all down yourself.  I served the bread slathered in vegan cream cheese, topped with shredded beets and a sprig of dill, and I highly recommend you try it that way, too.

The Ingredients:
1 1/3 c water
1/4 c molasses
2 1/2 t dry active yeast
2 c grated beets
3 T cocoa powder
3 T oil
2 T very finely ground espresso beans
2 T carraway seeds
2 1/2 t salt
about 2 1/4 c rye flour
about 4 c all purpose flour

about 1 T soy milk, 1 T flour, and 1 t carraway seeds for topping

The Process:

1. Heat water until very hot. In a mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk molasses into water until molasses is completely melted. At this point, the water should be warm but not scalding hot. Sprinkle in the yeast, and let sit until yeast is foamy, about 10 minutes.
2. Add remaining ingredients except for flours, then stir in about 3/4 of the flour. When dough gets too thick to stir, either use the dough hook of a stand mixer or turn it onto a floured countertop and knead with floured hands. Add remaining flour as needed to form a tacky but workable dough. Continue to knead until dough is springy and elastic, about 5 minutes with a mixer or 10 minutes by hand.
3. Form dough into a ball, coat with oil, and set in a covered bowl in a warm location to rise until  doubled, about 1.5 to 2 hours.
4. Gently punch down dough, and shape it into a round loaf. Place on a lightly-oiled baking sheet, cover loosely, and let rise until not quite doubled again, about 1 hour. 
5. Preheat oven to 425°. Brush loaf with soy milk, sprinkle with flour and carraway seeds, then slice an "X" into the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife, being careful not to deflate the dough. 
6. Bake for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and continue baking for about 30 minutes. The bread is done when the internal temperature reaches 200°. If you don't have a thermometer, cook until the bottom crust is dark brown and the loaf has a hollow sound when you knock on it.
7. Let cool before slicing, if you can stand the wait.

Use the links below to continue on to see more of the Virtual Vegan Potluck, or go back to see any dishes you missed.

Blueberry Bran Muffins

I think of these as my pregnancy power muffins, with flax for Omega-3s, blackstrap molasses for iron, blueberries for antioxidants, and bran to keep things moving.  If it makes a difference, my (non-pregnant and presumably rather biased) husband will vouch for them, too, though.  Makes a dozen muffins.

The Ingredients:
1 c unbleached white flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1 c wheat bran
1/2 c brown sugar
1/4 c ground flax
1 T baking powder
1 t salt
1 1/2 c almond milk
1/3 c olive oil
1/4 c blackstrap molasses (or regular molasses for a milder flavor)
1 T vanilla
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 c blueberries


The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 400°.
2. Whisk together flours, bran, sugar, flax, baking powder, and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together almond milk, olive oil, molasses, vanilla, and vinegar.
4. Stir together wet and dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Fold in blueberries.
6. Pour into oiled muffin tins (filled very full) and bake until cooked through, about 24-26 minutes.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

I'm starting to cook big batches of food to stock the freezer for after my baby arrives.  My frozen meals were looking pretty pasta-heavy, though, so today I decided to add some enchiladas to the mix.  I froze them unbaked, but I couldn't resist making an extra batch to eat right away.

The Ingredients:
12 corn tortillas
1 c enchilada sauce (I used canned tomatillo-based sauce)
3 oz vegan sour cream
3/4 lb sweet potatoes, diced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 c cooked black beans
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 t oregano
1/2 t cumin

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Steam sweet potatoes until tender, about 8-10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, saute onions, garlic, oregano, and cumin in a dash of oil over medium-high heat until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add jalapeno and cook an additional minute.  Add beans and sweet potato and remove from heat.
4. Whisk together enchilada sauce and sour cream.  Spread a little less than half of this mixture in the bottom of an oiled 9"x13" pan.
5. To assemble enchiladas, heat each tortilla for about 30 seconds on a hot griddle or skillet until it is pliable.  Place a tortilla in the prepared pan, spread about 1/3 c of filling in the tortilla, and roll up.  Place with the seam-side down so it stays rolled.  Repeat with remaining tortillas.
6. Spread remaining sauce on top of enchiladas.
7. Bake covered for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes or until the edges start to brown.
8. Serve hot with additional enchilada sauce, sour cream, guacamole, or what have you. 

Pineapple & Tofu Red Curry

Happy Halloween!  Because we can't live on candy alone (although I may sometimes seem like I'm trying to), I decided today would be a good day for a nourishing savory dish.  Although I rarely make curries, when I do I usually want them to include two things: lots of sauce for the rice to sop up, and big chunks of fresh pineapple.

The Ingredients:
1 package extra-firm tofu
2 1/2 c fresh pineapple chunks
1 1/2 c coconut milk
1 1/2 c vegetable broth
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1/3 c chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
2 T red curry paste
1-2 thai chilis, minced, or chili paste to taste
1 T minced ginger

The Process:

1. In a nonstick pan, fry tofu over medium-high heat in a little oil until golden on both sides.  Set aside.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, cook ginger and curry paste in a little oil until fragrant, about 1 1/5 minutes.
3. Raise heat to medium-high, add onion and celery, and continue to cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes or until onion is softened.
4. Add bell peppers and continue to cook, stirring, for 2 more minutes.
5. Add broth, pineapple, and chilis, and bring to a simmer.  
6. Stir in tofu and coconut milk, return to a simmer, and cook 5 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in 1/3 c cilantro.  Serve over rice and garnish with more cilantro.

Whew! With that, I guess Vegan MoFo is over.  This has been my favorite MoFo yet, and I've had a lot of fun trying to come up with interesting variations on my theme ingredients each week.  I'll be sticking with the pineapple/coconut posts through the end of the week, including a delightful little dessert I cooked up for the Virtual Vegan Potluck tomorrow.  After that, I'll be back to roughly once-weekly posting, with a temporary hiatus expected in February when I anticipate being busy with such other endeavors as having a baby.  Thanks to everyone who has dropped by my blog this month, especially to the folks whose kind comments on my posts have brightened my days!

Iron Chef Challenge: Sesame Sweet Potato Muffins

This week is my first time participating in a Vegan MoFo Iron Chef Challenge.  I was drawn in by the week's secret ingredients, potatoes and sesame, and especially by the fact that sweet potatoes "count" as potatoes in the challenge.  I considered a couple savory dishes, but ultimately decided to make muffins because it would spare me having to make breakfasts for the rest of the week.  I used black sesame seeds in my muffins for the color contrast, but white sesame seeds would probably taste just as good.  Makes 18 regular muffins or 9 jumbo-sized muffins.

The Ingredients:
2 1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
2 1/2 t baking powder
1 t ginger
3/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 3/4 c coconut milk
1 1/4 c mashed or pureed sweet potato
1/3 c vegetable oil
1/3 c tahini
1/3 c maple syrup
1/3 c agave
1/2 c roasted black sesame seeds

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375°.
2. Whisk together flour, baking powder, ginger, salt, and baking soda.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk together coconut milk, sweet potato, oil, tahini, and maple syrup until smooth.
4. Fold dry ingredients into wet, then fold in sesame seeds.
5. Pour into oiled muffin tins and bake about 27-30 minutes for regular-sized muffins or about 35-38 minutes for jumbo-sized muffins.  Allow to cool before devouring.

Peanut-Butter Dipped Banana Pops

Welcome to vegan mofo, everyone!  This week is peanut butter & banana week on my blog.  I'm starting off simple with these peanut-butter dipped frozen bananas, which are great to keep in the freezer as a healthier alternative to ice cream.

The Ingredients:
5 bananas
10 popsicle sticks
1/4 c smooth peanut butter
1/4 c coconut oil
1 T agave
1/4 t vanilla
a pinch salt

The Process:

1. Cut bananas in half, and spear each half with a popsicle stick. Place in a waxed-paper lined container or wrap in waxed paper and place in a ziplock bag. Freeze until frozen solid (somewhere between a couple hours and overnight).
2. In a microwave-safe container, heat peanut butter, coconut oil, agave, vanilla, and salt on low heat, stirring every 20 seconds, until melted and lump-free.
3. Pour peanut butter mixture into a skinny glass. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with waxed paper.  Dip a banana in peanut butter, let drip for a couple seconds while the peanut butter shell hardens, then place on waxed paper and repeat with remaining bananas.
4. Store in the freezer.

dipping bananas

Creamy Polenta with Olive Sauce

The Ingredients:
1 c polenta or coarsely ground cornmeal
4 c water or vegetable broth
1/4-1/2 t salt (omit or use less of using salted broth)
2 T margarine

For Sauce:
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 c chopped diced tomatoes (drained if canned)
1 c loosely-packed kalamata olives, pitted and halved lengthwise
3/4 t ground oregano
1/2 t sugar
a pinch salt
black pepper to taste

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Combine polenta, water, and salt in a casserole dish or dutch oven.  Cover and bake for 1 hour.
3. When polenta has about 20 minutes of cooking time remaining, heat a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium-low heat.  Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and fragrant.  Add remaining ingredients, raise heat to medium, and bring to a simmer.  Simmer for about 3 minutes, then cover and set aside.
4. Whisk margarine into polenta, then return to oven, uncovered, and bake for an 10 more minutes.
5. Top polenta with sauce and serve.

Loaded Baked Sweet Potatoes

I've been eating some variation on this meal a couple nights a week. If I'm feeling really lazy, I'll just dump beans and salsa straight onto the baked potato.  If I'm feeling virtuous, I'll add sliced kale when I saute the onions.  Sometimes I'll make a double batch and have lunches for the week; it reheats pretty well.


The Ingredients:
4 sweet potatoes
olive oil
1/2 an onion, diced
1 cup tvp
1 cup salsa
1 can black beans
1 avocado, chopped

The Process:

1. Bake sweet potatoes in a 425 degree oven until soft (about 35-45 minutes).
2. When sweet potatoes have about 10 minutes of cooking time remaining, rehydrate tvp in water according to package directions.
3. Heat a splash of olive oil over medium heat in a skillet.  Add onion and saute for a few minutes.  Stir in rehydrated tvp, salsa, and black beans.  Bring to a simmer.
4. Slice open the sweet potatoes, fluff them with a fork, and top with tvp mixture and avocado.

Tempeh & New Potato Salad

This salad can be served warm or cold, on its own or over a lettuce-based salad.  I used a combination of purple, red, and yellow potatoes because that's what I have in my garden, but any color will work.

The Ingredients:
about 5 c small new potatoes
1 package tempeh
3 T fruity balsamic vinegar (I used tangerine/fig balsamic)
2 T olive oil
1 T + 2 t mustard
1 T agave
leaves from a 2-3 inch sprig of rosemary, minced
1/8 t salt
a pinch black pepper

The Process:

1. Fill a large saucepan or small stockpot with enough water to cover potatoes and tempeh.  Bring to a boil, add potatoes & tempeh, and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.  Drain.
2. Meanwhile, to make dressing, combine all remaining ingredients in a mason jar.  Put the lid on the jar and shake vigorously until well-combined.
3. Combine potatoes and tempeh with dressing.  For the best flavor, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.

Garlicky Greens and Spaghetti Squash

This was my first experiment with the oddity that is spaghetti squash.  I found it fun to cook, and it really does come out looking like noodles.  I think you could also make a pretty tasty pasta dish by subbing spaghetti for the spaghetti squash in this recipe.

The Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash (2-3 lbs)
4 c (packed) chopped kale (or your favorite greens)
3-4 T olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 t chili paste
splash lemon juice

The Process:

1. Preheat oven to 375, then place the squash (whole) in the oven and bake about 1 hour or until soft enough to pierce easily with a fork.
2. Let squash cool for 15-20 minutes before handling.
3. Halve squash, discard seeds, and scoop out flesh.
4. In a wok or large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Saute garlic and chili paste, stirring, for about 2 minutes.  Add greens and cook 2-3 more minutes, then toss in squash and cook, stirring, until heated through.  Toss with a splash of lemon juice before serving.

Bean and Sweet Potato Stir Fry with Spicy Orange Sauce

This meal was a delicious way to use up the last of the cherry tomatoes from my garden.  I microwaved the potatoes before stir-frying them so they would cook through faster; if you have time to spare or don't want to microwave, just fry the potatoes longer.  I served this over whole wheat couscous.

The Ingredients:
2 pounds sweet potatoes (peeled if non-organic)
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced or crushed
1 pound cherry tomatoes, halved if large
1 1/2 cups black beans
1 1/2 cups garbanzo beans

Sauce:
1/4 c orange juice
1/4 c water
3 T orange marmalade
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1 T sherry
1 T rice vinegar
1 1/2 t cornstarch
1 t tarragon

The Process:

1. Pierce potatoes with a knife, then microwave 4-5 minutes on high.
2. Meanwhile, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
3. Cut potatoes in a 1/2 inch dice.
4. In a wok over medium heat, fry garlic and onion until softened, about 2 minutes.
5. Add potatoes, increase heat to high, and cook, stirring constantly, 8-10 minutes or until potatoes are almost cooked through.
6. Add beans and tomatoes and continue to cook, stirring, 2 minutes.
7. Add sauce, reduce heat to low, and cook until thickened, about 2 minutes.
8. Serve over couscous or your favorite grain.

Cucumber Walnut Stir Fry

Cucumbers are good for more than just salad!  I created this recipe to showcase my home-grown cucumbers; if you're not lucky enough to have cucs in your garden this time of year, move to California.  Or file this recipe away for next summer, whichever you think is best.

The Ingredients:
3 large cucumbers, halved lengthwise if desired, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
2 c walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 bunch green onions, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
olive oil

Sauce:
3 T mirin
2 T + 1 t white balsamic vinegar
3/4 t cornstarch

The Process:

1. Whisk together sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
2. Over low heat, cook the garlic with a splash of olive oil in a wok or very large skillet for 2 minutes.
3. Add walnuts and cook, stirring constantly, 2 more minutes.
4. Raise heat to medium-high, add cucumbers, and continue to cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes.
5. Add sauce and cook 1 minute.
6. Add green onion and cook 1 more minute.
7. Serve over your favorite cooked grain; I think quinoa goes well with this.

Tuesday Tip: lighter hummus and pesto

Hummus and pesto are two of my favorite foods, but they can both be pretty calorie dense with all that oil. Replacing out part of the olive oil in these foods makes them lower-calorie and also gives them a fluffier texture that works well for dipping or spreading on a sandwich.

My favorite hummus recipe these days:
2 1/2 c cooked garbanzo beans
6 green olives
1/2 t salt (less if using canned beans)
4 cloves garlic
1/3 c tahini
1 T + 1 t sesame oil
3 T olive oil
about 1/2 c vegetable broth

Combine everything in a food processor and blend until very smooth, adding the vegetable broth in batches to reach the desired consistency.

Tempeh and Green Beans in Spicy Garlic Sauce

This was a spur of the moment invention because I had tempeh and green beans in the fridge that I needed to use up, but it turned out awesome—I'll definitely be making it again.

The Ingredients
2 8-oz. packages tempeh, cut in 1-inch cubes
1 lb green beans, trimmed and cut in half if large
1 head garlic, minced or crushed
olive oil for frying

Sauce:
1/2 c + 2 T vegetable broth
2 T hoisin sauce
2 T sweet chili sauce (the pink kind with red flecks of chili peppers in it)
1 T rice vinegar
1 1/4 t cornstarch


The Process

1. Bring a small pot of water to a simmer, immerse the tempeh in it, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. While tempeh is simmering, whisk together all sauce ingredients.
2. Heat a couple tablespoons of olive oil in a wok over low heat.  Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
3. Remove tempeh from water.  Add tempeh and green beans to garlic, raise heat to medium-high, and continue to cook for 9-10 minutes, stirring, adding olive oil if it starts to stick.
4. Add sauce, cover, reduce heat to low, and cook for 2 more minutes.  Serve with noodles or rice.

Lemon Poppyseed Smoothie

I adore lemon poppyseed muffins, but I almost never make them.  This smoothie hits the major flavor points of the muffins but is healthier and only takes about 2 minutes to make.

The Ingredients:
2 c almond milk
1 banana
1 scoop protein powder
3-4 T rolled oats
1 T peanut butter
2 t ground flax
1/2 t lemon extract (or substitute about 1/2 T lemon zest)
2 1/2 t poppyseeds
1 pinch cinnamon

The Process:
Toss it all in a blender & blend until smooth.  I make it the night before and let it sit in the fridge in a mason jar overnight.

Israeli Couscous Salad

No recipe for this one, but I thought the picture came out nice.  It's a simple salad of Israeli couscous tossed with toasted walnuts, dried cranberries, peaches, edamame, thinly-sliced red onion, and cilantro, with a red wine vinegar & agave nectar dressing.

Plum Fruit Leather

This little non-recipe has turned out to be a great way to preserve some of my plum surplus, especially the ones that were too ripe for canning.

Simply blend pitted plums with a splash of lemon juice (and some agave if you want a sweet fruit leather), pour onto lightly-oiled dehydrator trays (either use commercial inserts designed for the purpose, or line dehydrator trays with plastic wrap), and dry for about 10-12 hours.

One caution: the flavor gets more tart as it dries, so make the mixture in the blender sweeter than you think you want it.

Immitation Lara Bars

I've recently upped my bicycling mileage quite a bit, and I've had to make an effort to add more calorie-dense food to my diet (I know, I've got it rough).  These definitely fit the bill.  They're also quick, portable, and delicious.

The Ingredients:
2 c dates, pitted
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used cherries)
1 1/3 c nuts (I used a combination of Brazil nuts and peanuts)
2 T nut butter (I used almond)
1 pinch cinnamon

The Process:

1. Put all ingredients in the food processor, and blend until it is crumbly with no pieces larger than a pea.
2. Dump out onto waxed paper, and pat into a rectangle.  Top with more waxed paper and firmly press, or roll with a rolling pin, until you get a firm slab about 1 cm thick. (Don't be gentle with it...really smash it together hard.)  Straighten the sides with the back of a knife or a spatula,  and cut into rectangles.  You can cut the used waxed paper into pieces to individually wrap each bar.  Store in the fridge.

Pan-fried zucchini

This is my first year growing this type of zucchini.  It's a small, speckled variety called "Lolita," and they're the most mild, creamy-fleshed zucchinis I've ever tasted.  They're delicious sliced into 3/4" thick rounds and fried in a cast-iron skilled brushed with a little olive oil, eaten right out of the pan while sizzling hot.

Absurdly Healthy Black-Bean Brownies

I've been playing around lately with a lot of variations of Chocolate Covered Katie's Chocolate-Chip Blondie recipe.  This black-bean and chocolate version is perhaps my favorite so far.

The Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (rinsed well if canned)
1/2 cup + 1 T sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup applesauce
1/4 cup flour (I used rice flour)
1/4 cup ground flax
1 t baking powder
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 handful chocolate chips

The Process:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°, and spray an 8x8 square pan with oil.
2. Combine everything except the walnuts and chocolate chips in a food processor and process until smooth, about 1-2 minutes.
3. Add walnuts and pulse a few times to mix them in.
4. Spread batter in pan, and bake 35-38 minutes, until the edges start to pull away from the sides of the pan.
5. Sprinkle the brownies with chocolate chips, and try to let them cool before you gobble them up.