Garlic and Black Pepper Tofu

In your face flavor

The shout out:

No doubt, the internet is alive with vegan recipe inspiration. The ideas I get from Pinterest and Food Gawker alone could keep me in fresh new recipes for life. And then, of course, there are the blogs – which can only be described as profuse.

And thank goodness. What fun!

Garlic and Black Pepper Tofu: serve over udon noodles or brown rice

But then there are those sites that are just plain weird. Unsightly, strange to navigate and seemingly unanchored to an identifiable author or institution. You know, the sites you tend to avoid. With so much beautiful cooking content to sift through in the internet-at-large, why stick around?

You stick around because, with patience, recipes with unprecedented elegance – i.e. Garlic andBlack Pepper Tofu – emerge from the clutter.

Elegance, here, comes as freshly cracked black pepper marries minced cilantro root as if they’re the most passionate and compatible of lovers. Coming together in a powerful sauce (not for the weak of heart) of garlic, tamari and cane sugar, this recipe, which lives in a most inconspicuous corner of the internet, deserves a standing ovation.

If you’re into your cilantro, you must try this truly original, Thai-inspired spin – and where the recipe calls for red bell peppers and green beans, don’t be afraid to experiment. I’ve added veggies from mushrooms to kale with great success! The sauce is so good, you'll want to double this recipe to ensure you have enough.

Sweet Potato Chili

Who said chili had to be meaty?

The veggie:

Growing up, my mom would always have baked sweet potatoes on hand, ready to serve at almost any meal. And you know what? She was onto something. There’s very little in this world that a sweet potato won’t complement. 

Plus, busy as you are, it's a great way to pack more veggies into your routine. Simply prepare a few baked sweet potatoes at the beginning of the week. If you don’t use them for dinner, there are plenty of to-die-for dessert options to explore.

And we all know sweet potatoes are something of a superfood. From the ClevelandClinic on down, they enjoy a revered reputation, topping almost every health food list ever published. High in vitamins B6 and C, plus iron, magnesium and fiber, sweeties (we’re on intimate terms) are a vegan dream – as good for you as they are delicious, and super versatile and filling too.

With the mild August evenings we’ve been having here in Boston, last night was perfect for a simmering pot of vegan chili. Loaded with hearty sweet potato chunks, zucchini, bell peppers and crisp corn – plus a kick of cayenne – my vegan Sweet Potato Chili is equally sweet and spicy, and pairs perfectly with a salty tortilla chip.

The chili:

Get your Tupperware ready, because you’re about to have delicious leftover lunches all week with the 6+ servings this recipe yields! You’ll also need:

• 1 sweet onion, diced
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 green bell pepper, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 2 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• ¾ tsp cayenne
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 large sweet potatoes, diced
• 2 28 oz cans tomatoes, crushed or diced
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 14 oz can kidney beans
• 1 14 oz can chickpeas
• 1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
• Sea salt and pepper to taste
• 3 green onions, sliced
• Tortilla chips for serving

Begin by heating the EVOO over medium heat. Add the onions and sauté until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the red and green bell peppers and zucchini and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir often as vegetables cook for 7-8 minutes. Next, add your spices – cumin, chili powder, cayenne and garlic and stir to thoroughly incorporate.

Now add the sweet potato, tomato and vegetable stock and bring to a simmer. All your veggies should be “swimming” in a delicious tomato-y pool – add more veggie stock (or water) if needed to bring to a simmer. Stirring often, let simmer for 20-25 minutes, until your potatoes soften.

Once the potatoes are fork-soft, add the kidney beans, chick pea and corn and let cook for 10 minutes. Finally, start your taste-testing – add cayenne, cumin, chili powder and salt and pepper to taste. Serve with freshly sliced green onions and a bowl of salty tortilla chips.

And as you’re spooning a steaming portion of vegan sweet potato chili into your bowl, pause for a moment and congratulate yourself. For you, my friend, will be eating like a king all week.

Moroccan Carrot Summer Soup

The perfect pureed soup

The shout out:

After a brutal work week, Friday night called for a fresh and rewarding meal, but nothing too complex. I was looking for a simple vegan soup to throw together in under an hour - something I could quickly whip up, throw on the stove and leave to its own devices while I...

...laid prostrate on the kitchen floor?

Remember that Jewel song "You Were Meant for Me"?
That's how I feel about this vegan carrot soup...

(Really, I work in a Creative department full of beautiful, talented characters. But our 40 hours together this week were trying.)

Thumbing through my recipe library, i.e. my Pinterest page, Moroccan Carrot Summer Soup by Meet the Shannons popped out: the color, the texture, the blessed fact that there are only two main ingredients: carrot and onion. 

And so it was. Not only did I have an excuse to buy a loaf of crusty bread, sprouts and heirloom tomatoes for a little side snack, I got to use my immersion blender, god's gift to soups everywhere.

With under 20 minutes of prep and a few inconsequential minutes of a bubbling pot doing its thang, vegan carrot soup never tasted so good. Be sure to check it out!

Summer Basil & Chicken Pasta

A raid-the-fridge weeknight dinner

The herb:

I’m on a basil kick. Last week it was vegan pesto taste testing, and Monday night it was tomato and basil pizza – just some standard marina, thickly layered sliced tomatoes, and a generous sprinkling of fresh basil. Quick, delicious, and oh-so-summery.

Last night, with a bundle of basil leftover in the fridge, Basil Challenge III was upon me. Admittedly, my Summer Basil & Chik’n Pasta was born of a solemn swear to myself that I’d figure out a way to use the basil without making a special trip to the grocery store. If you cook as a vegan, I’m sure you’ve been there, too: the 7^th consecutive day of swinging by the store for that one fresh ingredient that you cannot (will not! ought not!) do without.

Enough already! Basil Challenge III: raid the fridge and make it happen.

The innovation:

Employing the go-to formula for a simple, satisfying vegan dish, I reached for a grain, a protein and a veggie. Here’s what I had on hand and how I used it:

• 2 cups pasta, cooked
• 1 package chik’n, thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, diced into large chunks
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 2 tsp garlic, minced
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 TBSP EVOO
• 1 can artichoke hearts, quartered
• 2-3 cups baby spinach
• 7-10 large basil leaves, chiffonade(d??)*
• Sea salt & pepper to taste

Heat the EVOO on medium low and add your onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 3-4 minutes and then add the chick’n strips. Increase heat to medium and stir frequently until chik’n begins to brown, 5-7 minutes. Next, incorporate your tomatoes and a generous sprinkling of sea salt. Keep the chick’n and tomato mixture moving, stirring frequently for 5 minutes.

The spinach and artichoke take only
a few minutes to cook. This meal
comes together quickly!

Once your tomatoes are softened and juicy, add the baby spinach and artichokes, cooking for an additional 3-4 minutes. Finally, toss in 75% of your beautiful basil ribbons, saving the rest for garnish. Combine, add salt & pepper to taste, and you’re good to go.

The alterations:

Now, I know I said I wasn’t going to go to the grocery store for this particular dish, but that doesn’t preclude me from thinking about what I’d do differently if I had!

Firstly, I’d use whole wheat pasta. The tri-colored shells were fun, but I think a nutty whole grain flavor would have really rounded out this dish. Additionally, I’d probably opt for a more flavorful chik’n than the Trader Joe’s Chickenless Strips I had on hand. Lightlife Smart Strips are among my favorite.

But as always, this dish is highly adaptable: don’t have artichokes? No prob, forget about them. Want more Vitamin A & C? Double your baby spinach. No fresh tomatoes on hand? Hell, grab a can.

Whatever it takes to save yourself that 8^th consecutive trip to the store, amiright?

*I’ll cook dinner for whomever can explain to me how to conjugate chiffonade. Promise!